Every Story Is A Love Story
by DemonessK
Summary: Modern Pride & Prejudice set in the Midwest: Elizabeth is a student and Darcy is an executive when they meet and inevitably clash while he visits her hometown. How might their issues be resolved if they happened today? MA-rated version available off-site.
1. author's note

Okay, I think the long note I had here before has served its purpose. Now I have something else to say.

Starting at some point now, there are some naughty bits in my original story. When I started posting on this site, I rated it T, which I am taking to mean PG-13 type material. I tried not to describe anything you couldn't see on broadcast TV before ten o'clock. Some stuff does still happen, but I did my best to make it relatively tasteful. In all honesty, I am a little self-conscious about the adult scenes I wrote, but they are part of the story now and I shouldn't hide them completely.

That being said, I have decided to leave the rating as it is and censor the story as I post it here at . This decision was made largely for two reasons. (1) It allows people who do not want to read adult material to still find out what happens - I am optimistic/egotistical enough to hope/assume that at least some people care what happens – and (2) this is not the only site on the internet. I am posting the original versions of this and all future chapters on my new google site, which can by accessed either through the **homepage** link in my profile or by removing the extraneous spaces in the following address

**http :/ /sites .google .com /site /demonessk /home /esials**

or, if that doesn't work:

**http :/ /www. sites .google .com /site /demonessk /home /esials**

That being the case, I will do my best to edit out the naughty parts for this particular version of the my tale while maintaining a sense of what is going on.

To sum up my previous note here, I started writing this a long time ago, hence the archaic timestamps.

Still, here is the disclaimer:_ I totally own _Pride & Prejudice_ and all of its characters. Well, that is if my understanding of copyright is correct, which it probably is not. I did not create it / them of course, that was the incomparable Jane Austen, but at this point in history, I suppose that I own them as much as anybody else does, given that it is a work in the public domain. Therefore, I am sorry if anybody feels infringed upon, but unlike much fanfiction fodder with this work there is, given my (admittedly) very limited legal knowledge, nothing in that particular opus upon which to infringe. As for the title of this work, that comes from the Elton John/Tim Rice musical, Aida and where they got it from for that, I do not know. Therefore I would like to make an actual disclaimer regarding any references my characters may make to anything created in the past century or however long intellectual property copyrights are held. I mean no infringement, it is only for entertainment purposes completely without profit that I borrow things like titles and lyrics and such._


	2. Chapter 1

For the people who skipped the unnecessary author's note in the last [fake] chapter, here is my Obligatory Disclaimer: _I totally own Pride & Prejudice and all of its characters. Well, that is if my understanding of copyright is correct, which it probably is not. I did not create it / them of course, that was the incomparable Jane Austen, but at this point in history, I suppose that I own them as much as anybody else does, given that it is a work in the public domain. Therefore, I am sorry if anybody feels infringed upon, but unlike much fanfiction fodder with this work there is, given my (admittedly) very limited legal knowledge, nothing in that particular opus upon which to infringe. As for the title of this work, that comes from the Elton John/Tim Rice musical, Aida and where they got it from for that, I do not know. Therefore I would like to make an actual disclaimer regarding any references my characters may make to anything created in the past century or however long intellectual property copyrights are held. I mean no infringement, it is only for entertainment purposes completely without profit that I borrow things like titles and lyrics and such._

**Chapter 1**

_Thursday 31 August 2000_

Thomas Bennet hated to be disturbed while in his study, usually his wife and daughters respected that (or at least did not care enough to bother coming into his sanctuary). It was the main reason that he spent so much of his time sequestered there. Although he was not particularly busy that lazy Thursday afternoon, he was irritated by the sudden interruption of the door banging open loudly. Dr. Bennet (PhD) knew the intruder immediately, only one person could be quite so loud, and he wondered if she would ever learn to knock.

"Did you hear they finally leased the Netherfield Building?" Francine Bennet squealed. Her voice had not always been so high-pitched, her husband was sure of it. He thought to himself, as he so often did, that he would never have purposely bound himself for life to that particular frequency.

"I have now."

"What?"

"You just told me, so now I have heard it." Dr. Bennet had long ago learned that the best way to survive conversations with his wife was to respond to her constant queries as succinctly as possible.

"Well, do you have anything to say about it?"

"What could I possibly have to say about the leasing of a building that I never think of but for the awning?"

"The awning?" Mrs. Bennet's confusion was evident, and her husband hoped to arrest the conversation with this digression.

"Yes, I often take shelter from the rain beneath it. I do believe that it is the deepest awning on Washington Street." Dr. Bennet returned his eyes and pen to the paper he had been proofreading, hoping he had managed to dismiss the subject without having to find out what it was.

"Think of your daughters!" The decibel level of his wife's non sequitur caused the gentleman to sigh in defeat, he would have to finish this discussion whether he wanted to or not.

"My daughters, you say? How shall this affect their lives in any way? Does one of them have some interest in real estate of which I am unaware?" Conceding that he had lost control of the situation, Dr. Bennet decided his best course of action was to gather as much information as possible so that he could deal with whatever this issue was and go back to his work.

"As if you'd know anything about your daughters' interests. Sometimes I wonder whether you even know how many of them there are. It matters because a new company means new jobs, and if our daughters settle down locally, we'll see much more of our grandchildren!" She was talking with her hands now, gesticulating so wildly that he was sure her body language could be classified as an aerobic workout.

"Grandchildren? I had no idea that I had been in this room for so long, what else have I missed?" Not understanding what his wife was going on about, Dr. Bennet decided that sarcasm was the way to rid himself of this unwanted interruption. She was always annoyed by his sarcasm; he suspected it was because she rarely understood it.

"You miss everything shutting yourself up in here the way you do." They were in danger of getting into another conversation altogether, a much more serious one. "You while away hours in here doing God only knows what while life goes on around you and I'm the only one who gives any thought to our children and their futures."

"Alright; this company, what is the nature of its business?" Dr. Bennet was eager to talk about the Netherfield Building now, he did not want to get into the far more stressful debate his wife's last compliant promised.

"I don't know."

"Why do you expect this firm to hire any of our daughters then, if you do not even know what it does? Besides, we only have one daughter currently in the market for employment."

"Any of our other girls could get part time jobs. Working at a successful company is a great way to meet professional men. If you haven't noticed, none of the girls seem to be able to keep a boyfriend and they're not getting any younger."

"I am perfectly happy with the idea of single daughters; they cause me much less worry this way. I cannot for the life of me understand though, why you feel the need to marry them off so soon, two of them are still in high school for God's sake Fran."

"Jane will be twenty-three this year, her clock is ticking. They say that a woman should be married by twenty-five so that she can have babies by the time she's thirty"

"Where do you get your research, the supermarket checkout line?" Dr. Bennet could not be anything but exasperated with his wife when she talked about the marital prospects of their daughters.

"I'll have you know _Cosmo_ conducts very scientific polls"

At this, Dr. Bennet did not even attempt to keep his eyes from rolling.

"Never mind, you're distracting me, I came in here to give you news, and you're getting off topic."

"What a difficult task that always is."

"Shut up Tom, I'm trying to tell you the best part of all this." Dr. Bennet wisely kept his mouth closed as she continued. "Candy Long works for the company that leased the property, and she said that the man who came in to sign the lease was young, handsome, and not wearing a ring!" Her news finally delivered, Mrs. Bennet nearly glowed at this pronouncement.

"If you find him lacking in accessories, I suppose I could direct him to a jeweler. Beyond drawing him a map though, I am ill-equipped to aid him in that matter."

The smile left Mrs. Bennet's face as she threw her arms up in disgust. "I don't even know why I talk to you!" With this last exclamation, she turned on her heel and stormed from the room.

Her husband waited until she had turned the corner in the hallway before he rose from his chair to shut the door behind her. Not for the first time, he contemplated investing in a lock for his study door.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Friday 1 September 2000_

At five o'clock on Friday afternoon, Charles Bingley decided that he was tired of working.

"Thanks for helping me out with all this stuff Darcy," he said, turning to his companion, "but I think it's time we knock off for the day; for the week even."

"You cannot just leave this work half done Bingley." Darcy replied in an exasperated manner.

"It's not half done, it's almost done, and it'll keep till Monday – no, Tuesday. This is a long weekend and we should start enjoying it."

"If it is nearly completed, that is all the more reason to –"

"Look Darcy, I appreciate your help here, it's been invaluable," Bingley interrupted "but you know what they say about all work and no play?"

"It sends one on a murderous rampage?"

"I was going to say it makes you a dull boy, but I guess that's not much of a threat to you now is it?" Bingley was surprised, his friend rarely made jokes, and almost never cited popular culture.

Darcy smiled at the way his friend insulted and amused him simultaneously. "Alright Bingley, if we do put these papers aside for now, how do you suggest we occupy ourselves for the remainder of the evening?"

"I noticed a bar across the street."

"That seems like a productive use of our time." Darcy rolled his eyes without raising his head from his work..

"Who said anything about productive? I just want to have a little fun. I've spent the last week up to my ears in contracts, leases, and résumés, I just need to kick back a little."

Darcy reluctantly closed the folder he had been going through and rose from the wobbly card table that was serving as his makeshift desk.

"I suppose there is no point in my continuing to review prospective employees if their future boss is going to the bar."

"That's the spirit Darce! And I don't like to drink alone, so get a move on."

"Alright Bingley, lead the way."

-o-o-o-o-

A short while later, the two men found themselves in a nice, though dimly lit bar, sitting at a table and discussing anything they could think of that was not business-related..

After the waitress had brought their drinks, two graying gentlemen clutching beers of their own appeared next to their table.

"Excuse me," the older of the two began "the bar is rather crowded this evening. Would you mind terribly if we shared your table until something else becomes available?"

"Not at all!" Bingley said enthusiastically, pulling out the closest chair. "We're here to meet people and this seems like a good way to start."

The man who had spoken earlier took the proffered chair and, after setting down his drink, extended his hand in greeting to Bingley, who shook it vigorously. "My name is William Lucas, and this is Tom Bennet, we're both professors at the University.

Dr. Bennet nodded in acknowledgment of both the seated men as he claimed the fourth chair for his own.

"I'm Charles Bingley, my company's new in town; and this is my friend Darcy, he's giving up his very valuable time pro bono to help me keep my head above water." Bingley gestured unnecessarily to his stoic companion, who gave half a nod to each of the new arrivals.

"You only have one name?" Dr. Bennet spoke for the first time. "In the manner of Madonna or Cher I suppose, that is very chic of you."

"I assure you sir;" Darcy turned to his detractor, a bit affronted at the remark "I neither desire nor feign having any kind of fame or notoriety. I merely have a preference for my last name over my first. I find that if people know only one name, it significantly reduces the need to explain my preference; although apparently not in this particular situation."

Dr. Bennet hid a smile in his drink. He was unsure as to whether or not he liked this easily offended young man, but he certainly was amused by him.

William Lucas, at least pretending to be oblivious to the forming tension between the other occupants of the table grinned at Bingley, and addressed him in a most gregarious manner. "You say that you're looking to make some friends in town; this may be a start, but we can't really be what you're seeking."

"What do you mean?"

"Although I fancy myself to be a fascinating man, and enjoy Tom's company quite a bit; I doubt that you'd be opposed to making the acquaintance of some younger folks, perhaps even younger female folks." He smiled at Bingley's embarrassment as the young man indicated his acquiescence.

"It just so happens," William Lucas continued "that I know of a party that might interest you."

"Really, where?" Bingley loved parties. His leaning forward in anticipation coincided with Darcy's leaning back, as if the latter could physically distance himself from the conversation.

"The party is at my house, but don't be too disappointed, lads, I doubt there will be many guests there over thirty. I am certainly not planning to attend; it's my daughter's affair."

Darcy could no longer remain silent at the idea of attending such an event. "With all due respect sir, I think that we are a bit old to be attending a college party."

"Some guests are still in school I suppose; my children have a wide variety of friends. I wouldn't worry about the place being overrun with undergraduates though. Charlotte is holding this party to celebrate having passed the bar exam, so at least some of the guests will be young lawyers."

Bingley looked hopefully across the table, only to be met with a disapproving look from his cohort. He turned back to William Lucas when he noticed that the older man was still talking as he pushed a piece of paper across the table.

"You seem like nice fellows, so if you do decide to go, here is my address." He tilted his head back to finish off his beer before rising to his feet. "Come on Bennet, we had better get to the movie theater if we want to get good seats."

With a nod as detached and impersonal as his earlier one, Dr. Bennet also stood. His mug had been empty for some time already. He pushed his chair in toward the table and joined his friend at the bar, handing over a few bills before they left the establishment together.

When Bingley and Darcy tried to settle their check ten minutes later, they found that it had already been paid.

-o-o-o-o-

"That was nice of them." Bingley said as they made their way out of the bar.

"It was William Lucas I suppose, the other one did not seem to care for us greatly."

"Maybe because you got all snippy at him. People don't tend to like that sort of thing."

"I am unlikely to see him again, so I suppose it matters little anyway." Darcy raised his hand to hail a cab.

"You know, I'm starting to think you were right."

"I usually am;" Darcy replied without really thinking "why this time?"

"About getting a driver while I'm here." Bingley added his arm to the attempt, waving it a bit more wildly than his friend considered dignified. "Or at least a car."

"I thought that you had a car with you, what happened to the one you drove here from Chicago?"

"Caroline has it, and she'll need it even more with Louisa in town."

"When do she and her husband arrive?"

"They got here today, I told Carol she could have the car to pick them up at the airport, but I'm pretty sure she called a service and took a nap instead. I don't get how one woman can possibly require that much 'beauty sleep'."

Darcy mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and although his companion thought he heard "needs it" and "not do any good", he could not be sure, and decided it was best to pretend he had not heard anything.

Eventually, a taxi pulled over and the pair climbed in and headed back to their hotel.

"If you plan to stay in town for any length of time Bingley, you may wish to invest in some residential real estate."

"Why can't you just say 'buy a house' like any normal person?" Bingley shook his head in slight disbelief. "I put my sister in charge of house-hunting. Theoretically, it's why she needs the car."

"Do you pay her?"

"Yeah, she has some official job title that has to do with managing me or something"

"She certainly does that. I think she thrives on it."

"I know, I put her in charge of buying a house and hiring me an assistant."

"I thought that you had a Human Resources director for that; the hiring part I mean, not the house."

"Yeah, but he doesn't start till October when we plan to get productive. I'll need a personal assistant way before that to help with my organization. You've been really helpful, but I can't expect the CEO of a major corporation to do my filing forever."

"I do have to go to London for a couple of weeks this month, but after I close that deal, I will have some more free time and I can finish helping you get settled in here."

"Thanks Darce, what would I do without you?"

"You shall have a two week trial period to find out."

As Bingley wondered whether that statement should scare him or not, he almost failed to notice that Darcy had gotten out of the cab. Still a bit confused, Bingley paid the driver and exited to stand next to his friend.

"What do you want to do for dinner?"

"Hmm?" Bingley had been lost in thought again.

"We need to eat. Where would you like to have dinner?" The two men made their way into the hotel and toward their rooms.

"I guess I thought we could stop someplace on the way to the party"

"You cannot seriously be considering attending a college party."

"Weren't you listening at all? That man's daughter is out of law school, that makes her at least twenty-five. Come on, it could be fun."

"I suppose anything is possible. It seems far more likely that it will not be fun for me however, and I do not care for the odds."

"Come on Darce, please? I'll get my sisters and Hurst to come so you'll have somebody to talk to."

"I am not entirely sure that you understand the concept of incentive Bingley. Nevertheless, I will attend with you if you promise that we do not have to stay for too long a time."

"I promise, I just want to meet some people. Buck up, it'll be fun." Bingley opened the door to his room and turned one last time to his friend. "I'll tell the others we're going and call you when we're set."

"I shall be waiting on tenterhooks."

"Even your sarcasm is fuddy-duddy." Was the last thing Darcy heard as the door closed behind his friend.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Friday 1 September 2000 _(still)

Some time later, Darcy found himself waiting in the lobby for the rest of his party. He supposed that he should have changed out of the business suit he had been wearing that day, but he did not feel like making any effort to appear as though he belonged. The first person he saw getting out of the elevator was Bingley, and it looked as though the man's brother-in-law Walter Hurst had dressed to match, in a suit of his own. Darcy chose not to point out how out of place they would look, since he hoped that feeling awkward would only increase Bingley's incentive to leave the party at a reasonable hour.

Although Darcy was able to ignore the way he and the other men were dressed, they could always remove their jackets and ties to fit in at a party, although he would rather not, he had to stifle his laughter when the women of their party stepped out of the elevator. Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst were not dressed for a college party (even if it was for law students). They were not dressed for the kind of party where attendees had neither large trust funds nor obscenely high-paying jobs. They were not dressed for any party that might take place in Michigan. Although he had never made much of an effort to understand women's clothing, Darcy was sure that Caroline was wearing at least five figures' worth of clothing and accessories. Her shoes, he knew, were a custom design created for her by some exclusive label; he had been informed of that on more than one occasion. He had less specific knowledge of Louisa's footwear, but surmised that her total ensemble was probably comparable in price to her sister's. Knowing where they were planning on going that night, Darcy could only wonder whom those women could possibly be attempting to outdo.

"Are we all ready to go?" Bingley asked unnecessarily. They were, of course, standing around the hotel lobby for exactly that reason.

Before long, the five adults were seated, in various degrees of comfort, in a small Lexus SUV as Bingley navigated through unfamiliar streets. They arrived at a restaurant nice enough to have valet parking. Their clothing would not stand out too badly in this environment, Darcy thought with a bit of relief. He had not been looking forward to going to some insipid chain restaurant like _Applebee's_ (an inexplicable favorite of Bingley's) dressed as they were.

-o-o-o-o-

By the time they left the restaurant, it was past ten o'clock, and Hurst seemed as though he was ready to fall asleep. Darcy considered attempting to use the other man's condition as an excuse to escape from the party, but realized that he had merely drunk too much, and as this was not an unusual circumstance for the man, it seemed unlikely to get them out of at least making an appearance at the party about which Bingley was so excited.

"This isn't the way back to the hotel!" Caroline noticed not long after they had left the restaurant.

"I told you, I just want to stop one other place first." Her brother reminded her elusively.

"Do I have to get out of the car?"

"I'd prefer it, but I can't make you do anything. You haven't tried in a couple of years, but I'm pretty sure you can still take me."

"Don't be ridiculous Charles; I would never fight you, it's terribly unladylike." Caroline's batting eyelashes were lost on Darcy, as it was dark and he was facing away from her. Thanks to years of experience though, he knew what she was doing and it irritated him.

"Alright, 424 Meryton Drive, here we are!" They all looked where Bingley was pointing. "At least I assume, based on the music and the number of cars I see around it."

"You've got to be kidding!" Louisa exclaimed, in what was probably her third comment all night. She found it difficult to be heard when in the company of her sister, especially when her sister was in the company Darcy. Caroline had a way of monopolizing the conversation.

Bingley chose to ignore his older sister, which did not surprise her in the least, and drove a few houses down until he found a place to park.

Five immaculately dressed people made their way toward a house party which seemed, with every step they took, increasingly collegiate. Contributing to this effect was an actual keg which sat on the front porch in a tub of slowly melting ice. Only one of the five was excited about the party; three were disdainful, and the last, apathetic. As his sister's husband had not voiced any specific disinclination about the affair, Bingley decided to count him as a vote in favor, and with a near-even score of two-to-three, he felt little guilt at dragging the rest of his party along against their will.

Stepping forward from his crowd of reluctant companions, Bingley knocked tentatively on the door. After waiting nearly a minute with no response, he raised his hand to knock a second time.

"Clearly we're not welcome here or somebody would have opened the door by now." Darcy quickly stated, hoping to forestall his friend's insistence on entry.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, it's obviously a casual party. We're probably just supposed to walk in." Louisa replied before clapping her hand over his mouth in horror at what she had just suggested. "On second thought, I agree with Darcy, we should leave now." Her concurrence came too late to prevent her brother from rapping more firmly on the door.

Caroline decided that actions would speak louder than words at this juncture. She turned on her heel and was halfway down the sidewalk when she heard an increase in the music's volume, indicating that the door had been opened. As she turned back around, she remained shrouded in the darkness of the yard, which did an excellent job of concealing the look of disdain that crossed her face at the look of the young woman at the door as she cataloged her appearance.

Although she was quite pretty, she wore no makeup beyond her woefully understated lip gloss. Her skirt and blouse combination was far too casual for an evening affair, and her long blond hair was inelegantly held back by a plastic headband. Caroline knew her brother well enough to assume that his reaction would be the opposite of her own. She knew it, but she did not have to like it.

From the way Bingley was gazing at the vision before him, it was obvious that his sister was correct. He tried to form words of greeting, or perhaps of worship, but found himself unable to string two together.

"Hi!" The woman at the door said brightly. "Are you friends of Charlotte's?"

"No," Darcy answered after it became apparent that Bingley was not going to reply, "a gentleman named William Lucas gave us this address earlier in the evening and suggested that we stop by." He stressed the last two words in a vain attempt to remind his friend of his earlier promise that they would not be lingering at the party.

Bingley found his voice at last. "We're new in town and he thought it might be a fun way to meet people. So far, it's going pretty well." He smiled at the beauty before him. "I'm Charles" he said as he stuck out his hand toward her. When the blonde's hand touched his in greeting, Bingley thought he had never felt skin so soft.

"Jane Bennet" was all she said in response, smiling gently as her eyes traveled down to their joined hands.

Bingley realized that he had been holding her hand far longer than was necessary, or even polite. He reluctantly released his grip and used his newly freed appendage to gesture generally behind him. "This is Darcy, Walter, Louisa, and Carol."

"It's nice to meet you all, why don't you come in and we'll get you folks something to drink."

This offer jolted Hurst out of his stupor, and they all followed Jane inside. Caroline stepped from the darkness only to grab Darcy's elbow possessively as they went through the doorway into what, she was convinced, was another dimension entirely.

-o-o-o-o-

Some time later, they all had drinks in their hands. Louisa and her husband had found a vacant sofa to occupy and Bingley was conversing amiably with Jane while Caroline and Darcy stood in a corner ignoring as many people as possible. Darcy took a tentative sip of his beer which, despite having been dispensed from a keg into a red plastic cup, was quite good. He had not expected this kind of party to be serving a quality microbrew. Caroline's cup was half-full of white wine, which she appeared to only be holding as a prop and in which she seemed to have no real interest.

Caroline had never been so pleased by Darcy's height and breadth. His muscular six-foot two-inch frame shielded even her tall form from the crowd that she considered so beneath her. She thought about the ways that this situation could improve her relationship with Darcy. Their mutual disdain of the partygoers gave her some hope, and she ruminated on how to use it to her advantage. Before Caroline could say anything dismissive about their surroundings though, they were approached by a woman they had seen circulating the room. She had mousy brown hair and a nose which was slightly too big for her unremarkable face. Her smile reached her eyes however, and it gave her a generally friendly look, which was not necessarily a positive as far as Caroline Bingley was concerned.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte," she said, lifting her right hand from the cup she carried only enough to give half a wave. "Jane tells me my dad invited you."

"Yes, Bingley and I met him at Arbor Brewing Company this evening." Darcy took in the appearance of the woman before him and concluded that she was probably not quite sober enough for a proper conversation, which suited him just fine. "I would like to offer my congratulations on your passing the bar exam." He added a trifle awkwardly.

"Thanks" Charlotte said, a little put off by his reticence. "Well, have fun." She made her way to the next group of people along the wall, who greeted her with more enthusiasm.

The music playing was unfamiliar to Darcy, but he supposed that was to be expected. He had not even been particularly aware of the music that had been popular when he was a student. Perhaps it was his old-fashioned taste, but Darcy did not consider this music to be well-suited for dancing, so it surprised him to espy his friend gyrating suggestively with Jane across the room from where he was standing with Caroline.

Caroline sneered at the duo and attempted to engage Darcy in disparaging conversation. When he was not cooperative, she stalked off to find her sister, Louisa.

Darcy watched as a short brunette wearing jeans and a tee shirt approached the dancing pair. After a moment, Bingley walked toward him as the two girls hurried off in a different direction.

"Hey Darce, how come you're not dancing?" Bingley asked, a bit breathlessly.

"This is inappropriate music for such an endeavor."

"There's no such thing. All music is for dancing, that's what I love most about it. You know, you might like it if you gave it a chance."

"I sincerely doubt it." Darcy saw out of the corner of his eye, Jane and the brunette who had interrupted the dance were now with three other girls, all of whom seemed too young to be at the party. The two eldest seemed to be shuffling the others out the door, only one of whom looked willing to leave. The other two, excessively young and overly made-up were noisily protesting their forcible removal. Despite their obvious youth and the scene they were making, Darcy could not help but think that they had, at least, prepared for a party. The hair of Jane's companion was held up in an untidy bun by chopsticks and he noticed a stain near the hem of her shirt.

As the door was closed behind the whining teenagers, Darcy turned back to Bingley, and therefore did not notice the brunette moving towards him in pursuit of the guest of honor.

Elizabeth Bennet, of the jeans ensemble and messy bun, joined Charlotte, who was standing by herself a few feet away from the men in suits. She opened her mouth to apologize for her sisters' party-crashing ways, but before she could speak, she noticed the guy her sister had liked so much speaking with a man she could only have described as "tall, dark, and handsome"

"Come on Darcy," the blond man entreated, "you should dance; you might have fun."

"Even if I wanted to, which I do not, with whom would I dance? You have already claimed the most attractive woman here."

"Jane has a sister; you probably saw her talking to us a minute ago. You could ask her."

Darcy let out a noise which could almost have been called a snort and replied disdainfully. "I suppose I've seen worse, but I cannot say that she is pretty enough to be worth my time."

Elizabeth forgot what she had been meaning to say to Charlotte as she bit her lip to keep from telling the snobby man exactly what she thought of him. Instead, she quietly excused herself and headed for the kitchen, intent on getting a drink to calm herself.

-o-o-o-o-

Once out of sight of the party, Elizabeth turned and leaned against the refrigerator door. At the feeling of wetness in her eyes, she grabbed a napkin, dabbing the tears away before they had a chance to fall. As she closed her eyes, she took slow, deep breaths until she heard another person enter the room.

"Hello," the man who had so insulted her began, "I was just looking to refill my beer."

When Bingley had returned to Jane, Darcy had given up on leaving anytime soon and had decided that another drink would be the best way to pass his time.

Elizabeth had opened her eyes when she heard his voice, and looked at the man who had unknowingly hurt her just moments before. As he spoke, he looked her in the face, which was not particularly disconcerting in and of itself; but the way he maintained eye contact for so long after he had finished speaking made her a bit uncomfortable.

Finally, tearing her eyes from his, she responded. "If you're drinking Bell's, the keg is on the front porch."

"Yes, of course, I had forgotten. Thank you." Darcy replied, not a small bit flustered

He turned and strode from the kitchen. After Elizabeth had reined in her emotions, she reached for the first bottle she saw and a plastic cup of her own. A minor spill and a major gulp later, she steeled herself to return to the party with a tumbler half-full of Jack Daniels.

After leaving Elizabeth, Darcy scanned the room for his companions. Caroline was the easiest to spot. With her natural height, aided by the three-inch heels she wore, she towered over most of the other guests, including many of the men; and although her platinum blonde hair was partially hidden, her ridiculous hat was unmistakable. He noticed Louisa and Hurst standing with her in the most remote corner of the room. After looking about a bit more he also noticed Bingley, who was still talking to Jane as his body bounced along to the music. Considering his options, Darcy decided on the direct approach, and strode toward his distracted friend.

"Pardon me for interrupting." He addressed Jane, and then turned to Bingley. "Your sisters seem quite ready to return to the hotel, and it is getting rather late."

"Yeah, I guess it must be." Bingley looked at his watch and started a bit when he read the time. "After midnight! I know it's still early for a lot of the folks around here, but we have some old fogies in our group." He smiled at Jane. "It didn't feel like so long to me. I don't really want to go, but Darcy's right. Could I get your number?"

"Sure." Jane's smile was small but genuine as she blushed lightly. "Do you have something to write with - and on?"

"Here, just punch it in." Bingley handed her his cell phone. "I'll save it for later."

Jane did as she was told and handed the phone back to him. "I had a great time with you tonight. I'm glad you ran into Professor Lucas earlier."

"Me too."

"Well, bye, I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Count on it." Bingley said with a grin before moving toward his family who looked relieved at his announcement that he was ready to leave.

Elizabeth saw that her sister was finally alone, and moved awkwardly across the room toward her.

Jane was startled when she felt a hand on her arm, but her mood changed quickly to worry when she noticed that her sister was drunk. The knowledge that Elizabeth had been completely sober less than an hour before only increased Jane's anxiety.

"Are you okay?" Jane's brow was furrowed in concern. "You seem pretty far gone."

"I'm twenty-one!" Elizabeth insisted, loudly enough to turn a few heads.

Jane checked her watch. "Yes, for nearly half an hour now. I think it might be time for us to go home."

Elizabeth did not object, but tipped up her cup to finish off the drink before taking Jane's arm. They bid a quick farewell to Charlotte, and began the three block walk home. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Elizabeth told Jane all about the jerk in the suit who had insulted her and the creepy way he had stared at her later.

Jane sympathized with her sister as she unlocked the door and let them into the sleeping house. Quietly, She crept up the darkened staircase while grasping Elizabeth firmly by the waist, and steered her towards her bed.

"We have an early morning tomorrow Lizzy" she whispered, but a soft snore let her know that the reminder had fallen on deaf (or at least drunken) ears.

Jane shut the door quietly and went to her own room where she had pleasant dreams about a smiling blond man.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Saturday 2 September 2000_

"Lizzy!" The voice from the other side of the door insisted. "Lizzy, wake up or I'm coming in!" The warning was given only seconds before the door was opened by an impatient teenager.

Elizabeth rolled over in her bed and, only half awake, threw a stuffed animal in the direction of the disturbance. She pulled a pillow over her head and mumbled something that the intruder assumed to be "go away".

"If I go away, you won't get up!" The excessively chipper voice whined.

"What are you doing in here this early Lydia?" Elizabeth gave up trying to go back to sleep and addressed her youngest sister in defeat. "You were out last night too."

"Yeah, but I was back before midnight and you wouldn't let me drink; so I guess you're the spoilsport to blame for my good mood. Anyway, it's eight-fifteen and you haven't showered yet. We have to go in half an hour or we'll be late for our appointments!"

"Half an hour, why didn't you get me up earlier? I have to shower and eat." Elizabeth sat up and glared at her sister.

"Hey, it's not my fault, I thought you'd be up by now. You're the one who's always getting up at the butt-crack of dawn. I had to set my alarm for this. Nobody expected you to be hung over." Lydia Bennet looked at her sister expectantly as if waiting for her to refute the accusation.

Elizabeth decided to ignore the implied question of how much she had imbibed the night before. She knew that this rude yet late awakening was merely a tool of Lydia's revenge for having been ejected from Charlotte's party. "Why did Mom book us so early anyway?" She dragged herself out of bed and stumbled toward her dresser in search of clothing for the day.

"It was the only time we could get five appointments at the Aveda Institute. It's your birthday present! You should be excited about it!" As Lydia went on, Elizabeth considered the idea that her youngest sisters, like their mother, spoke with far too many exclamation points.

"I might be more excited if I had gotten any say in the matter. Not that I really mind or anything, but why do you guys all get spa treatments on my birthday? All I got on your last birthday was the privilege of cleaning up after a dozen teenage girls."

Even as she said the words, Elizabeth realized that she did mind. Her mother had suggested a spa day for a birthday present, and when Lydia had asked to go along, Mrs. Bennet had quickly acquiesced. Apparently it was too much for Elizabeth to ask that she be made to feel special on her own birthday.

"It's a togetherness thing!" Lydia huffed as she turned on her heel. Anyway, you'd better get moving you only have" she checked her watch "twenty-six minutes to shower and eat!" The teenager added helpfully as she left her sister's bedroom.

"Well. At least she can do math." Elizabeth mumbled under her breath as she made her way across the hall to the bathroom.

Elizabeth showered quickly and was in the kitchen having breakfast with twelve minutes still left on the clock when another of her sisters approached her from behind.

"You're not seriously going like that are you?" Kitty asked as she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Like what?"

"Your hair's all stringy and that shirt has a hole in it."

Elizabeth bit back a long suffering sigh for fear of sounding like their mother. "I'm getting a haircut today, so they'll wash it for me at the salon; and as for my shirt, I doubt that anyone will judge me for it, I am a college student."

"Whatever!" Kitty flounced off in the direction of her bedroom and Elizabeth wondered what she could possibly have done to deserve a birthday so full of "togetherness".

After her hurried breakfast, she headed for the garage where she found all four of her sisters waiting with varying degrees of impatience at the car. Only Jane looked genuinely happy to see her, and planted a kiss on Elizabeth's cheek before wishing her a happy birthday and herding their younger sisters into the backseat of the sedan.

-o-o-o-o-

Although the drive to the salon was quite short, most of it was filled with Lydia's complaints about having to sit in the middle and Mary's harsh judgment on the way they were about to spend their day, "fighting nature for an aesthetic just to please men" and the way that their planned outing would demean them all. Elizabeth sincerely hoped that they would be split up for their treatments at the salon, she did not know how much sister time she could take all at once even on her birthday – especially on her birthday. Her younger sisters always grated on her nerves and the hangover that she refused to admit to was not helping.

Several hours later, Elizabeth was starting to enjoy her birthday. She had had a facial, a pedicure, and a haircut. She sat among her sisters as they all got manicures and for once, felt like sharing.

She told them, without too many details, of her experience at the party after she and Jane had sent them home the night before. She described the men in business suits whom Professor Lucas had invited and their couture-clad female companions. Jane was embarrassed as her sister described the blond one's mooning over her and his clumsy but enthusiastic attempts at dancing. The two youngest sisters giggled and Lydia asked if she had gone home with him.

"Of course not!" cried Jane, who got more worried by the day about the morals of one sister in particular. "I only just met him. I did give him my number though, I hope he calls."

She was immediately assured by four different voices that he was guaranteed to call, no man could resist her. Elizabeth was less comforted when she told them about the taller, dark-haired man who had slighted her. She did her best to put a humorous spin on the story and presented it in a manner that omitted any negative reaction on her part.

"It's 'cause of your outfit!" Lydia pointed out "Guys don't ask you out because you dress like a nun, they like it when you show a little cleavage."

"You weren't wearing enough makeup!" was Kitty's contribution. "You've got a zit coming in on your chin, you need some concealer."

Mary had the only valid point in the group. "If he was judging you based solely on appearance, he's not the kind of guy you'd want to be involved with anyway." The tone with which she made her point however, was harsh and disapproving, as if it was Elizabeth's fault for caring what he thought at all. Also, it seemed hypocritical coming from someone who had just had her toenails painted petal pink.

Jane just smiled in a supportive manner, she had already heard Elizabeth rail about Darcy and felt that nothing she could say at this point would be helpful.

Elizabeth left the salon that afternoon feeling surprisingly happy about the time she had spent with her sisters despite their criticisms. Perhaps this birthday would be one of her better ones after all.

-o-o-o-o-

When the five sisters arrived home that afternoon, Mrs. Bennet was very excited and without so much as a "Happy Birthday" to Elizabeth, she addressed Jane. "A man called for you!"

"Charles called already?"

"You were expecting a man to call and you didn't tell me?" Mrs. Bennet looked hurt. "You used to keep me informed about your life Jane."

"I haven't seen you since I met him, it was just last night."

"At Charlotte Lucas's party? She's a good friend for you. She makes you look even prettier by comparison." Mrs. Bennet stroked Jane's cheek affectionately. "You look very nice today; the facial really makes your skin glow."

"Mom, that is a horrible thing to say." Elizabeth reprimanded her mother.

"The facial didn't do you any harm either Lizzy, you should be more open to beauty treatments."

Elizabeth chose to ignore her mother's insult of her in favor of commenting on the slight of her friend. "I meant what you said about Charlotte. That's just mean, Mom."

Mary interrupted before their mother could respond. "Women have a difficult enough time being judged on their appearances by men. When other women do it too, it undermines everything that is feminist solidarity." She looked around disapprovingly as she made her judgment before turning the corner and taking off up the stairs.

"Her hair looks nice, I mean except for that dull color." Mrs. Bennet's eyes followed Mary's departure. "Can't you girls talk her into dyeing it a more attractive shade?" She touched her own golden hair as she made this suggestion.

Elizabeth could not help but think to herself that despite its horrible rudeness, the comment was, at the very least, free of hypocrisy. She knew that the moment her mother's dishwater blond roots began to show, she had her hair touched up; especially now that it was beginning to be speckled with gray – or would be if not for the dye job.

"What did Charles have to say?" Jane decided a change of subject was in order. Also, she desperately wanted the answer.

"He said that he enjoyed getting to know you and looked forward to talking to you again."

"Did you write down his number?"

"Oh, I put it somewhere." Mrs. Bennet shrugged her shoulders and glanced about the kitchen

Jane looked forlornly at the messy piles that covered all the kitchen surfaces and doubted that she would be able to find what she so desperately wanted there. Her mother's next comment simultaneously elated and upset her.

"It doesn't matter anyway; he's coming for a barbecue on Monday."

"Charles is coming here?" Jane's worry at the young man's meeting her family so soon began to overshadow her joy at seeing him again.

"Did you know he's already met your father? Nobody in this house tells me anything! You'd think at least one member of my family would have some consideration for my nerves! Anyway, I had a nice talk with your young man and he seemed very excited about coming over here. He'll come by at noon, and I told him he could bring some friends."

"Friends?" One person stood out in Elizabeth's mind as a possibility, and she did not like it.

"Yes, the more the merrier. It was just going to be the seven of us this year since your cousin Doug has a soccer game this weekend and he insists on not missing it. I don't understand why anyone would listen to a four-year-old anyway, I never let you girls make decisions at that age. Your Aunt Jean should have been able to make it though; she knows we have a barbecue every Labor Day, why would she schedule a vacation when she's expected here? Of all the rude..." Mrs. Bennet trailed off as she realized she was getting off topic. Her daughters were not surprised to hear her bound from subject to subject; it was something to which they had grown accustomed over the years.

"I hope this Charles has some eligible friends to bring along. I can't believe I have five single daughters! You're all pretty enough to get guys – even Lizzy and Mary, when they give it some effort." Mrs. Bennet looked pointedly at her second-eldest daughter.

The giggles coming from the kitchen table reminded them that Kitty and Lydia were still in the room. Elizabeth had long since realized that it was a lost cause trying to get their mother to see any of them as more than just pretty faces in need of mates.

"I hope he comes alone. His sisters were too snobby to talk to anyone at Charlotte's party, I don't even know if I know what they look like, and that friend of his is a jerk."

"How do you know his friends and family already? I thought he just met Jane last night." Mrs. Bennet looked at Elizabeth in a manner that might be described as accusatory, a glare she knew well, although she often did not understand what she was being accused of, and today was no exception

"They were with him at the party last night too. His friend said I wasn't pretty – 'not worth his time' I think he put it."

"Well, what were you wearing? And I bet you didn't have any makeup on at all. You never take care of your appearance. Maybe Charles has another friend with lower standards. He seemed nice, I'm sure he knows lots of other men!" Mrs. Bennet somehow managed to look as though she felt she was being magnanimous in this pronouncement.

Elizabeth was constantly amazed at how much her mother resembled Kitty and Lydia in behavior. Even her specific comments regarding the recent insult echoed those of her two youngest daughters. At least the girls had the excuse of being teenagers. Elizabeth had never come up with a good explanation for their mother. Knowing that arguing was a frustrating prospect, Elizabeth chose to leave the room; it was a safer bet for her sanity.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Monday 4 September 2000_

At noon on Monday, Darcy found himself standing at the Bennets' front door as Bingley knocked, hoping in vain that it would go unanswered. He was a bit taken aback when he recognized the man who answered the door as one of the professors he had met a few evenings before. He thought to himself that perhaps he should listen more when Bingley talked.

"Welcome to my home gentlemen. My wife tells me that you met my daughters on Friday night. Depending on which ones, I am delighted or sorry for you both."

Bingley took the older man's remark as a joke and replied that he had found nothing but delight in Jane's acquaintance. "Lizzy too" he added as an afterthought, smiling a bit guiltily.

Darcy thought to himself that it seemed unpardonably rude to insult one's daughters before strangers, but knew that it would be even ruder to point this out. Not knowing quite what to do, he merely stood silently as Bingley held out a six-pack of beer in offering.

Dr. Bennet thanked him for the gift as he took it, and remarked on the excellent coincidence of there being six legal drinkers now in attendance.

"Although my wife does not drink beer, and I am not sure about the girls. They do not really drink in front of me, especially Lizzy, she just came of age this past weekend." Dr. Bennet smiled. "That leaves more for us, I suppose."

Darcy's hand then rose from his side to reveal a bottle of wine. Dr. Bennet praised his choice of a bold red as a good companion for hamburgers, and took the other beverage from his guest. A nod to Darcy seemed to convey his message and the tall man put his now empty hands to use closing the front once they all stood inside the house.

Dr. Bennet was unsure what to make of this man. His Lizzy had complained about Darcy's rude judgment of her, but he seemed polite enough at the moment, if a bit silent. He surmised that a judgment of his own would have to wait until he had seen a bit more of the man's interactions with other people. With his hands full of the guests' offerings, he led them through the house and onto the back porch.

-o-o-o-o-

As the three men stepped out of the house, Darcy took stock of the crowd of females who were already there. He saw Jane, whom he recognized from Friday night, cutting up tomatoes for a salad. She was wearing a sun dress that matched her blue eyes and although she smiled at both of the new arrivals, her eyes went straight to Bingley, who lost no time in approaching her.

Darcy also saw the three girls who had been ushered out of the party. There was a blonde teenager jabbering excitedly into a cordless telephone. Another with reddish hair stood nearby, snapping her gum and checking her watch incessantly as if she was waiting for an appointed time to snatch the phone away from her sister. The last of the three youngsters was reading on a lounge chair on the lawn. An older but still attractive woman approached him holding out a tray.

"Hi, I'm Francine Bennet, you can call me Fran. Would you like some chips?"

Darcy was not entirely sure why, but this woman irritated him already.

"No, thank you." He managed to respond politely. Then, at her expectant look added, "My name is Darcy."

"It's nice to meet you Darcy." Since he made no move toward her, Mrs. Bennet took it upon herself to initiate physical contact, and threaded her arm through his as she pulled him further outdoors. Darcy worried a moment for the fate of the tray of chips in her other hand before Dr. Bennet, who had put down the drinks he was carrying earlier, appeared to remove it from danger.

"You've met Jane of course, and Lizzy." Mrs, Bennet waved her hand in the general direction of the picnic table and grill. Darcy noticed for the first time, a young woman tending the burgers, not far from where Bingley stood talking to Jane. Before he could get much of a look at her however, he felt himself yanked about to face the teenagers he had noticed earlier.

"Lydia is on the phone and – Kitty! Come over here and greet our handsome guest!"

The auburn-haired girl looked about at the sound, then after a moment trudged toward them while looking Darcy up and down. He was not unused to being eyed by women, but this one, clearly still a girl, disconcerted him.

"Hi." She said, fluttering her eyelashes at Darcy briefly before turning to her mother and stating petulantly, "Lydia's been on the phone for hours, Dad said it's my turn now, but he won't do anything about it."

"I'm sure she'll be done soon." Mrs, Bennet soothed her daughter. "Just be patient, it'll be fine. Anyway, this is Darcy, he's a friend of Charles – that nice man with Jane."

"Yeah, whatever." Kitty said, losing interest as she noticed her youngest sister had stopped talking and was now dialing the phone. She jumped on the lull in Lydia's gabbing to yell "It's my turn! You've been on the phone all day! Don't you make another call – you bitch!" She shouted as she saw Lydia raise the telephone to her ear and stick out her tongue in defiance. Kitty lunged toward her sister and Darcy was alone with Mrs. Bennet once more.

"That's Mary," Mrs. Bennet continued, appearing to be in no way apologetic for her daughters' bad behavior. "She's not very interesting, always reading some boring thing or other."

Darcy was shocked at the way these parents spoke about their children. He could think of nothing he wanted more at that moment than to sever all contact with this appalling family immediately. Given the way Bingley was hanging on the eldest though, that seemed an unlikely possibility. He decided to settle for extricating himself from the mother's grasp.

Darcy surmised that his first impression of this woman had been correct. Then again, first impressions nearly always are, he thought to himself. She was crass and shrill and dressed like a college student. Although she was not a large woman, the tightness of her capri pants and halter top made bulges appear in unflattering places. Any inherent beauty her face possessed was marred by her furrowed brow and severely pursed lips.

Pulling his arm decidedly from Mrs. Bennet's, he informed the woman that, as he had not properly introduced himself to one of her daughters on Friday night, he would take the opportunity to do so now.

Darcy turned toward the grill and took a long look at the woman tending it. He could only see her from the back, but that view seemed especially nice. Her denim shorts, showed off shapely, if slightly short, legs; and a mane of shiny brown curls caught the sun in a way that made red highlights dance through them. Darcy could hardly believe this was the same woman he had dismissed so decisively less than three days prior, but when she turned around and he caught sight of her eyes, he was certain of her identity. There could not be two pairs of green eyes on earth that sparkled so delightfully.

"Can I help you?" She looked a bit irritated. Elizabeth hated when people stared at her, and this guy had done it on Friday night too. She had no wish to stand there while he searched her person for more aspects to criticize.

Darcy tried to tear his eyes away from her enticing form, but any chance he had was dashed when he saw what the baggy tee shirt she wore at the party had been hiding. A red tank top hugged her curves enough to show off her assets, but had a moderately conservative cut that made him wonder what it was hiding. Darcy fully understood, possibly for the first time, the allure of "leaving things to the imagination". Despite the high neckline of her top, he envisioned Elizabeth's cleavage and allowed himself to picture for a moment how the glorious curves of her hips and bottom would look without her shorts.

"Well?" Elizabeth's pointed question cut into his reverie.

Darcy cleared his throat as he took a moment to compose himself. "Is there anything that I could do to assist you?" He asked, glad to have found his voice at all.

"No thanks, I may be just a woman, but I think I can handle flipping burgers on my own."

Darcy could not understand how she managed to be so affronted by his offer to help, but for some, unfathomable reason, he liked her all the more for it.

-o-o-o-o-

By the time the hamburgers were ready, Mrs. Bennet had an array of side dishes set up on the large picnic table that adorned the porch. Upon noticing that it was time to eat, the girls each made their way toward the food at varying speeds. Lydia was, finally, ready to hand the phone over to her sister, for all the good it would do at this point.

By waiting until Elizabeth had taken her seat before choosing his, Darcy was able to position himself across from her. Unfortunately this left him with no choice as to his neighbors. He found himself sandwiched between Lydia and Mary. This was made worse by the fact that although there was plenty of room to be had on the bench, Lydia felt the need to have her leg constantly touching his.

Mrs. Bennet was sitting next to Elizabeth and therefore in an unfortunate proximity to Darcy. He was not sure whether he would prefer her monopolizing the conversation or a barrage of questions aimed at him. He suspected that he would have to put up with one or the other as they ate, and mentally steeled himself for the trial to come.

"So what do you do Darcy?"

At least she was not giving him a hard time about his name like her husband had, Darcy thought to himself. "Excuse me?"

"What do you do for a living? Are you in town on business?"

"No, I am only here to help Bingley get settled. My own company, Pemberley International, is based in Chicago."

"I've heard of them." Elizabeth spoke up, suddenly interested in the discourse. "They have a great summer internship program for prospective MBA students."

"Yes, we believe that the way to get loyal employees is the start acquiring them right out of school. Are you pursuing a business degree?" Darcy did not like to speak to strangers much as a general rule, but this young woman intrigued him.

"I'm an econ. major now, but after I graduate in April, I'm thinking about an MBA. I guess it all depends on what kind of job offers I can get with just my bachelor's degree."

"It is a fact that the business world is very competitive, and no secret that additional education does aid in getting one's foot in the door. I have an MBA myself, from Harvard, although I attended Yale as an undergraduate. Internships can be invaluable however, because what many employers really look for is experience."

"I haven't had an internship before, so I guess I'll just have to trade on my looks and grades." Elizabeth was annoyed at the way Darcy seemed to be talking down to her; as if he thought he was better just because he had fancy ivy league diplomas.

Lydia had become bored with the direction the conversation had taken, mostly because it did not involve her. "I'm gonna get a job next summer!" She announced, taking everybody by surprise.

"Really?" Her mother asked. "This is the first I've heard of that idea. Do tell."

"Well, you know my friend Harriet Forster, right? Her brother Brian, who's totally hot, was a lifeguard at the country club this summer. He knows a class and he said if we get certified, he'll talk to his boss about hiring us for next year!"

"I had no idea that you wanted to be a contributing member of society." Elizabeth said dryly.

Lydia ignored her. "I'll get to wear a bathing suit all summer and work on my tan." Plus, the country club is full of cute, rich boys!"

The gleam in Mrs. Bennet's eye at this statement scared Darcy a bit. He decided it might be best not to tell this family the particulars of his position at Pemberley.

"You have got to be the shallowest person I've ever met." Mary spoke for the first time since the guests had arrived. "It's people like you that make it difficult for women to be treated as equals in this world."

Darcy saw the book she had been reading, SCUM Manifesto*, and shivered a bit. He was familiar enough with the book's contents not to relish the idea of sitting so close to a woman who would read it recreationally. Mary's copy looked dog-eared and well-used.

"Mary's a lesbian major." Lydia stage-whispered conspiratorially to Darcy and let out an undignified giggle.

"Women's studies!" Mary huffed, in the manner of one who is tired of repeating herself.

"Mmhmm" Darcy mumbled noncommittally. He had the feeling that he did not want to get caught in this particular crossfire. It did not escape his notice that Elizabeth, obviously used to her sisters' interactions and unwilling to get involved, rolled her eyes dramatically at the argument.

-o-o-o-o-

At the other end of the table, Bingley was trying to be sociable while never taking his eyes from Jane.

"Kitty seems like an unusual name." He addressed the girl seated beside him while barely turning his head. "Is it short for something?"

"Yeah, my real name's Catherine, but when I started preschool there was already a Katie and a Cathy, so it just sorta happened."

"That's interesting." Bingley responded politely, although he looked as though nothing could possibly interest him at the moment but Jane.

Dr. Bennet, seated at the head of the table, was torn between concern at the attention Bingley was paying to his eldest daughter and amusement at his poor attempt to hide it.

Bingley tried talking to the others around him a bit, but found himself too distracted by Jane to do justice to conversation with anyone else. Eventually, he gave up and spoke only to the blonde goddess across the table from him for the rest of the meal.

Lunch continued, with Darcy's end of the table providing most of the conversation, though he was little involved; and Bingley's smile getting increasingly wider as he gazed at Jane.

"I'm sorry my sisters couldn't join us, I'm sure they would've loved to meet you all. They're house-hunting for me. In fact, I think there's one on the next street for sale that's on the short list for me to see. Maybe we'll be neighbors soon!"

"That would be nice." Jane beamed at him as she and Elizabeth began to clear the table, gathering the dirty dishes into a pile and putting the lids back on the leftovers.

"Can I help with anything?" Bingley asked hopefully.

"No thanks, we've got it covered." Elizabeth smiled at him and Darcy wondered why Bingley's offer of aid elicited such a different reaction in her.

Much to Darcy's relief, he soon found himself on the front porch being wished a disinterested farewell by Elizabeth and what he assumed to be an attempt at a flirty goodbye from the two insufferable teenagers. Bingley was making a date with Jane for Wednesday night, his feelings about leaving were much more bittersweet than those of his friend.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually the two men were in their rented SUV on the way back to their hotel.

"I'm going to need a second car while we're here, and renting doesn't seem practical. It sucks trying to work out a schedule with Carol, she's never been good at sharing, not since we were little. I guess you've noticed that though, haven't you?"

"I had not given it much thought." Darcy lied. He found Caroline to be the height of selfishness, but he did not see the point in expressing such a frank opinion to her brother.

"Well, I think I should buy one. It'll be useful when I take Jane out." Bingley was grinning from ear to ear. Darcy realized that he should have known there was something afoot, as talking about his sister, either of his sisters, was unlikely to make Bingley as happy as he seemed to be at that moment.

"Are you sure that is entirely wise?"

"Why not?"

"You barely know her."

"Yes, that's why we're going out on a date, not eloping to Vegas. Isn't that what dates are for, getting to know someone better?"

"I suppose." Darcy reluctantly agreed. "It's just that her family is so . . ." Darcy rarely found himself at a loss for words, but in this instance, all the words he could come up with were offensive. so against his inclination, he let the sentence drop unfinished.

"I'm not taking her family to dinner, just Jane. Anyway, you'll have to find something else to do on Wednesday night."

"I am sure that I will be able to entertain myself for a few hours."

"I have no doubt, although if you do get bored, I bet Caroline will be happy to help you out."

"Bingley, that is not funny."

"Yes it is."

"Do shut up."

Bingley's intermittent laughter filled the silence for the rest of the short ride back to the hotel.

_-x-x-x-x- _

_*__**SCUM **__(Society for Cutting Up Men) __**Manifesto**__ is a work by Valerie Solanas (of I Shot Andy Warhol fame). The title really says it all, but wikipedia often has even more to share. _

_I tried to embed a wikipedia link in the html editor, but it would not let me. Anyway, it is not at all imperative to the story, but you can go there anyway if you are curious, or google it or whatever._


	7. Chapters 6 & 7

Brief author's note:_ I find it confusing that the chapter numbers assigned by the publishing widget do not agree with the chapters as I have labeled them because I started with a long, personal note / pointless essay. Therefore, in order to catch up, I am posting two chapters together here, they are both relatively short. Not that I don't have shorter chapters, but this seemed as good a place as any to double up._

**Chapter 6**

_Sunday 10 September 2000_

Elizabeth was surprised when her older sister volunteered to help her make dinner on Sunday evening. "Jane, I'd forgotten that you live here!"

"Don't be silly Lizzy." Jane tried to hide her smile by turning away. "I haven't been out that much."

"You haven't had dinner with us since Tuesday, the day before your first official date with Charles."

"There's no need to play up the relationship, we've only had three dates." Elizabeth pressed her lips into a line and looked expectantly at her sister. "I had my book club on Thursday. I didn't skip that, you know."

"Of course, three dates in four days, it sounds like you're taking this relationship at an absolutely glacial pace."

"Well, I'm here tonight, what can I help you with?"

"The soup's almost done, could you make the breadsticks?"

"Sure." Jane busied herself digging out a baking sheet. She tried to ignore the feeling she had of eyes boring into her, but her sister would not relent.

"Well, why are you here tonight?"

"I live here."

"Jane, you know what I mean, why aren't you out like you have been for the last four straight nights?"

"Maybe because I have been out so many evenings in a row – not all of which were with Charles by the way – and I miss my family."

Elizabeth looked at her sister dubiously, and her raised eyebrow managed its purpose, to wring a confession from Jane.

"Charles is taking his friend to the airport today."

"Darcy?" At her sister's nod, Elizabeth continued. "Good riddance. I hope I never have to see him again."

"Lizzy, you barely know him; maybe he's not so bad."

"Not so bad? I told you what he said about me, right? Anyway, I'm sure you noticed how rude he was on Monday."

"I just don't believe that Charles could be so close with someone who's as bad as you seem to think Darcy is. You know, they've been best friends for nine years." Jane opened the cupboard as Elizabeth got silverware out of the drawer.

"Really? I have a hard time trying to picture that man making friends with anybody, let alone keeping them for so long."

"They met in college." Jane had the dreamy look she always got on her face when she talked about her new boyfriend. "Charles went to Yale, he's so smart."

A fresh wave of irritation enveloped Elizabeth at the mention of the alma mater Jane's new beloved; it only reminded her of Darcy's arrogance. She supposed she would have to get over that if her sister was really serious about a Yale alumnus and, judging from the frequency of her recent dates, she was.

Shaking all Darcy-related thoughts from her head, Elizabeth held her hands out for the bowls. She had to clear her throat twice before Jane noticed that she spaced out and hurried to grab the dishes from their shelf. Elizabeth smiled, but said nothing. She was pleased to see her sister so crazy about a guy. It had taken her so long to get over her last boyfriend.

"What does he do now?" Elizabeth tried to show her support by being interested in the man's life.

"Something with computers I think."

"You've spent every possible minute with him for the past four days – don't look at me like that, I know you two had lunch on Thursday – yet your knowledge of him is so vague. What could you two possibly be doing on your dates?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"We talk about other stuff. I know that his first dog's name was Freckles and that he played the tuba in high school. He told me how hard it was for him when his dad died last year." Jane had turned defensive, and her sister started to feel a big guilty for the manner in which she was questioning her.

"I'm sorry Janie; it sounds like you really like him." Elizabeth rarely used that particular version of her sister's name, and hoped that Jane would understand what she meant by it.

"I do." Jane smiled, easily accepting the implied apology. "Just don't tell Mom."

"It's too late for that, she knows." Elizabeth turned off the burner and carried the pot of soup through to the dining room. "Mom keeps a calendar of your dates on her bedside table." She added with a wicked looking smirk.

Elizabeth walked over to the bottom of the staircase. "Dinner!" she bellowed. Almost instantaneously a herd of elephants, or what sounded like one, made its way down the stairs. Her parents moved much more quietly and a bit more slowly from their own locations toward the promised food.

"It's your first family dinner in days" Elizabeth said to Jane. "Do you think you're up for the inquisition?"

There was no time for an answer before their family descended upon them.

-o-o-o-o-

Across town, a conversation that was both similar and vastly different was taking place.

"Thank you Bingley, for tearing yourself away from your new girlfriend long enough to take me to the airport." Darcy closed the trunk to his friend's new BMW after placing the last of his bags in it.

"You're just jealous."

"With all due respect to your lady friend, that is not so. Jane is not my type."

"She's beautiful and the nicest woman I've ever met, she's everybody's type." Bingley looked a trifle offended, which seemed odd to his friend.

"I didn't mean to disparage her. I only meant that I am not envious of your relationship with her. I am a bit worried though, I have not seen you outside the office for days. I would wonder that you had time to buy a car. Except that you seem to have done it while on a date." At this, Darcy looked disapprovingly at his friend as he buckled his seat belt.

"What? It's not like I bought her a car! Anyway, that's not what I meant. I just meant that you might be jealous because I can see Jane all the time, and you haven't seen Marissa for two weeks." At Darcy's furrowed brow, Bingley continued. "You do remember Marissa right, your girlfriend?"

"Yes, of course I knew whom you meant. I was just thinking that it has been too long since I spoke with her."

"Well, if you get lonely, you know that Caroline's always happy to step up." Bingley made a poor attempt to contain his laughter.

Darcy, on the other hand, made no attempt at all to contain his revulsion. "Do not be ridiculous. I am only glad that she did not hear what you said, she might think you were encouraging her."

"Darce, we both know my sister doesn't need any encouragement from me. Anyway, she wanted to come along to see you off. I thought you'd be happy that I talked her out of it."

"How did you do that, may I ask?"

Bingley looked mildly ashamed of himself, and just shook his head.

"Now I really must know. How did you convince Caroline to forgo this particular excursion?"

"I told her we were leaving at seven."

At this, Darcy laughed and looked at the clock. Only a few minutes had passed since they had left the hotel, it now read 6:08. "Thank you."

"I do what I can."

"Can you prevent her from coming to meet my arrival at the airport as well?"

"You know I don't like to make promises that I'll need to remember for almost two weeks, but I'll try."

"I would appreciate that." Both men remembered the last time Caroline had joined her brother to meet Darcy's flight. She had thrown her arms around him like a long-lost lover and made enough of a scene to inspire gawking.

"Two weeks in London sounds nice." Bingley began hesitantly after a short awkward silence.

"It might be if I did not have so much work to do. I haven't been sightseeing in Europe since . . ." Darcy trailed off, something he rarely did.

Bingley did not know how to respond to Darcy's near mention of his father's death. It was something that they never discussed. Although they were the best of friends, Darcy was emotionally distant and seldom spoke about his feelings.

"Maybe we'll go someday." He ventured. "Just the two of us, not my sisters." He added at Darcy's alarmed look. "We could go backpacking or something."

Darcy raised his eyebrow at this suggestion. Neither of them was the backpacking type, and he said as much.

They soon fell into an easy, if pointless conversation that lasted the rest of the trip to the airport.

-X-O-X-O-X-

** Chapter 7**

_Friday 15 September 2000_

At the end of her first full week of school, Elizabeth was ready to let down her hair and, as Charles had other plans that night, Jane was happy to join her. The relationship between Jane and Charles had been escalating quickly, and Elizabeth was starting to get worried about her relationship with her sister; it seemed to be suffering from a lack of time spent together. This evening, Elizabeth decided, would give them time to talk about Charles. She wanted to know more about this guy who was stealing her sister away. He seemed pretty nice, but he had dubious taste in friends, and she did not really remember much about his sisters except that they were total snobs.

As it was still nice out, the two young women decided to walk downtown to the bar, they lived less than a mile from campus, and the walk was not unreasonable as long as it was neither too cold nor raining. The walk was filled with pleasant conversation about Elizabeth's classes and Jane's new boyfriend.

-o-o-o-o-

"I almost forgot to tell you," Jane began excitedly as they sat down at the bar. She was prevented from continuing for a moment by surprisingly prompt service. Once they had placed their drink orders, with Elizabeth proudly showing off her new ID, Jane was able to continue. "You know how I've been applying for jobs almost constantly for the past couple of weeks?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth had heard a lot about this at first, but as Jane sent out more and more applications that remained unacknowledged, she had stopped sharing the news about each job for which she applied.

"I finally got an interview!" Jane was clearly very excited, a huge turnaround from her previous spirits when referring to her job hunt. Her spirits had been sinking steadily lower with each rejection, and although it hardly showed on her beautiful and stoic face, she was starting to lose hope of finding a position locally. Ann Arbor was just too full of recent college graduates to have jobs for all of them.

"That's great, where?"

"At that new company that just moved into the Netherfield building, SB Tech. They need some sort of assistant to the president. Anyway, my interview is on Monday, and I'm really excited. I don't know what I'll do if I can't find a job in town."

"I can't even think of you leaving Jane, I'd miss you so much."

"I know, but one of us will leave eventually, I'm sure of it. Though I think you'll be the first to go."

"Why me?"

"You just seem destined for bigger things Lizzy. You might be moving on soon if you get a job right out of college. I bet you'll go somewhere glamorous like New York or London."

"I was thinking about Chicago, there are a lot of great companies located there. I just worry that it isn't far enough away from Mom."

Jane smile turned melancholy, Elizabeth's need to escape their mother was nothing new, but it always made her a little sad.

Before either sister could dwell on what had just been said, their drinks came.

"It's on them." The bartender said when Jane tried to pay him, pointed to a table a few yards away.

When Jane and Elizabeth turned to see who had been so generous, they saw two young, attractive men and two free chairs. When one of them beckoned an invitation to join them, Jane got nervous.

"I don't know Lizzy, I have a weird feeling about this."

"Don't be such a spoilsport Jane, it's no big deal." Elizabeth took her sister's arm and gently led her over to the table of the grinning men.

"If you guys want to be paid back for the drinks, it'll have to be cash; neither one of us is going to sleep with you." She announced as she sat down in one of the empty chairs. Elizabeth glared at Jane for a moment until she did the same.

"Lizzy!" She hissed sharply, embarrassed by her sister's boldness.

"It's not rude if it's the truth." Elizabeth defended herself.

"Fair enough," the more attractive of the two men said. He raked a hand through his sandy brown hair and smiled in a disarmingly sweet manner. "Your delightful company will be payment enough. Even if we're not going to sleep together, I'd still like to know your names. I'm George and this is Denny." The black-haired man sitting next to him smiled, showing off pearly white teeth that shone against his tan skin.

"Thanks to my sister's stage-whispering skills, you probably already know that my name is Lizzy. My incredibly embarrassed companion here is Jane."

George Wickham smiled flirtatiously at Jane and addressed her directly. "Does your sister always do the speaking for the both of you, or will you grace us with what I'm sure is a lovely voice?"

"I'm seeing someone." Was all that Jane could come up with at that moment.

"That's alright, we've already been warned against trying to get lucky." Wickham's mouth turned up at one side in amusement. "Are you allowed to talk to us?"

"I don't see why not." Jane was relaxed by the casual manner in which the men had reacted to her sister's ridiculous announcement. They seemed genuinely interested in just talking. Still, Jane thought, you never know with guys you meet in bars.

She thought about Charles and what he was doing that evening. "Family crap" he had called it. He had asked her to have breakfast with him on Saturday, claiming that he couldn't wait a full two days between dates again. Jane thought about how fast things seemed to be moving with Charles and realized that she was not as scared as she might have expected; it felt right. All of a sudden, she realized that she had completely zoned out, and tried to make sense of what her sister was saying. Maybe she could get back into the conversation without anybody realizing she had left it.

"Homecoming isn't till October, but they want to make sure they get the best dresses." Elizabeth was saying. "Teenagers can be so ridiculous."

"Yeah, heaven forbid they only have four hundred to choose from instead of five." Denny replied sarcastically with a smile.

"I have some shopping to do tomorrow too; maybe I'll run into you." Wickham said with a wink. His smile had not left his face since the sisters had joined them, and showed no signs of dissipating any time soon.

"What are you in the market for?" Jane joined the conversation at a brief lull.

"Anything that I see and can't live without." Wickham answered suggestively.

The mild flirting went on for a bit longer, and Elizabeth insisted on paying for their second round, since the men had picked up the first.

-o-o-o-o-

When they left the bar, no phone numbers had been exchanged, but Elizabeth felt hopeful about a future date with Wickham. He seemed nice and he had shown a marked interest in her. She said as much to Jane.

"That sounds like fun." Jane looked uncertain, but kept a smile on her face. "I guess you'll all learn more about him tomorrow if he just happens to be at the mall."

"I hope so." Elizabeth grinned. "His friend really liked you."

Jane's smile became more relaxed, if a bit patronizing. "Denny seemed like a nice enough guy, but you know it won't come to anything."

"He knows it too Jane, you talked about Charles enough to scare him away."

"Did I? I'm just so happy right now. I can't stop thinking about him."

"I know sweetie, and if he likes you half as much as you like him, which I'm pretty sure is a gross underestimate, you'll be happily ever aftering in no time."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jane gently admonished, but she could not keep the happiness that the thought gave her from showing on her face.

"That's true, even after he proposes, there's not guarantee. Mom might scare him away by living vicariously through your wedding."

"Lizzy! We've only known each other two weeks."

"Sometimes that's all it takes. You've got it bad, I can tell."

Elizabeth could hardly see Jane's blush as the darkness fell slowly around them. She took her sister's arm in hers and thus connected, they made their way home, trying to reach it while they could still see the sidewalk in the fading autumn sun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Saturday 16 September 2000_

"All aboard who's coming aboard!" Elizabeth shouted from the door to the garage. She was rarely excited about going shopping with her sisters, but today she had her own reason to be at the mall around lunchtime.

Kitty and Lydia were standing in the kitchen, both trying to cajole their mother into giving them more money for their dresses.

"I need shoes too." Kitty was whining. "Lydia's stolen all my best pairs and she won't give 'em back."

"That's 'cause they look better on me anyway."

"They're shoes! They look the same on everybody."

"That's just what a person with ugly feet would say." Lydia stuck her nose in the air as if she had made an important point in the debate, then turned to her mother and began some whining of her own. "I need new earrings! Can I have some more money?"

"I am not entirely sure that you girls understand the meaning of the word 'need'." An unexpected male voice said from behind them.

Elizabeth had given up waiting and had begun making threats and ultimatums to get her sisters to leave with her for over half an hour. Finally, she had decided that the only way to get to them was through their funds and had recruited their father to her endeavor. It seemed that he had arrived just in time, Mrs. Bennet had been reaching for her purse to acquiesce to her daughters' demands when her husband stopped her.

"In fact," he went on "I am not sure that we **need** to pay for your dresses at all."

As silly as they were, both girls knew that they were treading a fine line.

"Daddy, please." Lydia entreated, putting to use her powers of persuasion which, when addressing her father, were limited to batting eyelashes and a protruding lower lip. "Without your help, I can't afford a nice dress. All the other kids'll laugh at me." Her pout looked forced, even to her generally oblivious father.

"I understand Dad, and I'm grateful for what you already gave me, I'll spend it well." Kitty was a bit wiser than her younger sister.

"You will have to, anything over one hundred dollars comes out of your allowance, and you only get that hundred if you leave right now. I have work to do and **need** some peace in which to do it." He was not sure whether they were listening carefully enough to note the emphasis he placed on a certain word, but as long as they left, he supposed it did not matter much.

Kitty and Lydia gave him their best chastened looks. "Thank you Daddy." They said in near unison.

Once they were in the garage, they began fighting anew.

"Suck-ups have to sit in the back!" Lydia announced as she lunged for the passenger seat.

"No, idiots ride in the back!" Kitty countered and began to grapple with her sister over the door handle.

"Great it'll be perfect for you."

"Bitch!"

"Moron!"

"Slut!"

"Reject!"

"Shut up!" Elizabeth yelled. She had thought this sort of behavior might cease, or at least mellow, as her sisters got older, but they acted the same way now as they had when they were small children, right down to the slap fights.

She held out a quarter. "Heads, Lydia rides shotgun; tails, Kitty. You switch on the way back."

"We wouldn't have this problem if Kitty hadn't been too stupid for Driver's Ed.." Lydia looked defiantly at Elizabeth. "Then we wouldn't even need you."

"Lydia you know Kitty was sick last year, don't be such a bitch. Given the way you treat her, she probably won't give you rides anyway once she does get her license."

Lydia looked horrified, as if such a thought had never entered her mind. Kitty glared smugly at her younger sister. The idea of refusing to drive Lydia around had not occurred to either, but now it seemed like a powerful threat.

Before another argument could erupt, Elizabeth flipped the coin she held in her hand. "It's heads; Lydia rides up front first." She saw her youngest sister's mouth open to flaunt her victory, so added as quickly as she could. "Any taunting and I'll forget the coin toss and make you be in the back both ways."

Lydia pressed her lips together and glared daggers at Elizabeth. The threat worked, however, and the three had a moderately peaceful drive to the mall.

-o-o-o-o-

"Let's have lunch first." Elizabeth suggested as they entered the mall through the food court.

"All that rushing to get here, and now you just wanna eat! What the hell Lizzy? We have food at home, and with less calories." Lydia was put out, to say the least. Kitty looked as though she agreed, but was afraid to say anything that might anger their older sister further.

Despite the teenagers' objections to Elizabeth's timetable, they were both happy to let her buy them lunch. As the three young women sat and ate, a handsome man approached their table. He smiled charmingly when Elizabeth invited him to join them. If her younger sisters had any objections to the man's unexpected presence, they were quickly forgotten when he arched one eyebrow, which drew attention to his attractive hazel eyes.

Elizabeth performed the necessary introductions, and Wickham fell into easy conversation with all three of his new companions. He was uniformly charming, and Elizabeth was impressed with his tolerance for her sisters' ridiculousness.

"You know what would be awesome?" Lydia asked as they all got up to leave. "To get a guy's opinion on our dresses. Do you want to come shopping with us George?" She batted her eyelashes in her typical flirtatious manner as she awaited his response.

Wickham looked at Elizabeth, only to see her roll her eyes at her youngest sister's impudence. "Sure," he smiled at the younger girls, "but only to keep your chauffeur, here company. She looks bored already."

"If she is, it's her fault." Kitty put in. "She's the one who insisted on getting here so early – like we had an appointment with the mall or something."

"Is that so?" Wickham asked, looking sideways at Elizabeth, whose face had taken on a slight flush of embarrassment.

"Alright, where do you want to go for dresses?" Elizabeth cut in, hoping to change the subject from her own mortification.

-o-o-o-o-

Several stores and flirtatious but pointless conversations later, the teenagers were in the fitting rooms at Hudson's while their companions waited outside.

"I know you're a student Lizzy, but you've neglected to tell me what exactly you study." Wickham looked as relaxed as an adult man possibly could when surrounded by formal dresses designed for teenage girls.

Elizabeth smiled at him; grateful for his presence on what she was sure would otherwise have been a horrible shopping trip. "I'm an economics major at the moment, but I'm thinking of getting an MBA. I know that it would be useful in the job market. If I can get a job without one in May though, I might wait and go back to school later. What about you, what is it that you do?"

"A little bit of everything." Wickham replied mysteriously. At Elizabeth's confused look, he explained a bit further. "I've worked some in almost every field: manufacturing, journalism, health care; I even had a brief stint in the army, but it turns out there's only so much discipline I can take."

"That sounds very interesting," was all that Elizabeth could think of to say in response. She wondered at his shiftlessness and he seemed to sense this, because he launched into an explanation without her having to ask.

"I only had a year and a half of college. I never wanted to drop out of course, but I just didn't have the money to finish my education, and career choices are limited if you don't have a college degree. I've been looking for something I enjoy doing, but I haven't found it yet. Well, there are things I enjoy doing, but they don't really pay."

He ended his short confession with a look that could only be described as a leer. Before Elizabeth had much time to be disturbed by his expression, Lydia emerged from a fitting room wearing a dress with far less fabric than her elder sister would have liked to see.

"Oh my God Lydia!"

"I know, isn't it to die for?"

"You'll die for sure if Dad sees that. It has no back or straps and it looks like most of the bottom was ripped off."

"That's kind of the point." Lydia huffed, annoyed at her sister's lack of fashion sense.

Wickham looked as though he was unsuccessfully attempting to avert his eyes, which Lydia took as an indicator of her excellent taste in dresses. He looked from one sister to the other and realized that he would have to give his opinion and it would likely upset one of them. Wickham had not survived so long on his wits alone for no reason, and he soon came up with a compromise.

"It's a very pretty dress." He said to Lydia in a placating manner. "I just wonder whether it's really comfortable enough for dancing. It would be a shame to have to sit out because you can't move well." He could see how tightly the built-in corset was cinching her waist; he doubted whether she could even sit down properly in it. "Also, it'll probably get cold by the homecoming dance. Wouldn't you hate to have to cover up that dress with a sweater all night?"

Lydia looked thoughtful for a moment, and then seemed to agree with him. Still wearing the revealing garment, she sauntered off toward the racks for another armload of dresses to try.

Wickham leaned toward Elizabeth and whispered conspiratorially, "I bet she'll pick something a little less inappropriate this time; now that she's worried about the cold." He sent a smile her way and was gratified to have it returned in kind.

The two adults conversed between themselves as Kitty and Lydia pranced in and out of the fitting rooms in different dresses, gazing at themselves in the trifold mirror.

"You said you have four sisters. I've met three now, what's the last one like?"

"Mary is barely a year younger than me; we're almost what you might call 'Irish twins'. I guess I probably shouldn't use that term, but we're like half Irish, so it's not totally off base. Anyway, she's at U of M too, a women's studies major." Elizabeth rolled her eyes slightly at this last bit of information.

"A militant feminist is she? How cliché."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure Mary realizes it, otherwise she might feel the need to change either her major or her attitude. She abhors clichés." Elizabeth liked how comfortable she felt with Wickham. There was just something about him that made her want to open up.

"She's my sister and I love her, but sometimes she scares people away. Of course that's not always a bad thing." She smiled at the recollection of her sister's interaction with their rude guest on Labor Day.

"Is there someone in particular she scared off for you, an overenthusiastic suitor perhaps?" Wickham managed to make almost everything he said suggestive.

"Oh no, he certainly wasn't interested in me." Elizabeth told her new friend about the party and subsequent barbecue during which she had interacted with the tall, offensive man. "I don't know where Darcy gets off being so high and mighty, just because he went to Yale –"

"Darcy?" Wickham interrupted her. "Darcy of Pemberley International?"

"Yeah, he mentioned that he works there. Why, do you know him?"

"Works there?" Wickham snorted in disdain. "Bastard owns the whole damn company."

"Really?" Elizabeth was intrigued despite herself.

"Well, he's the majority shareholder at least, in addition to being the CEO." Upon seeing that Elizabeth seemed to be impressed with this information, Wickham quickly plowed ahead. "And the rich jackass wouldn't even give his childhood friend a job." His manner left little ambiguity as to the identity of the friend in question.

"You're friends with him?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"Not anymore, Darcy thinks he's too good for me these days. He said he couldn't have me at his precious firm without a college degree when it's his fault I don't have one."

"How did he manage that?" Elizabeth broke eye contact long enough to convey her disapproval of Kitty's latest choice in dress, then quickly returned her attention to her companion as her sister flounced back toward the fitting room in irritation.

Glad to have her focus on him again, Wickham launched into his tale. "Our fathers went to college together, Harvard, but old Mr. Darcy wasn't as snobby about his Ivy League education as his son is. After they got out of school, Mr. Darcy was given a job at the company his grandfather had founded, Pemberley International, and he got my dad a job there too. Mr. Darcy was my godfather and I was named after him. He wanted to name his son for my dad, but his wife's elitist family wouldn't let him, they were always too good for the likes of us.

"Anyway, when my dad died, he was an executive VP at Pemberley and I was still in high school. I lived with the Darcys for a few years until I graduated. I think that's when Darcy really started to resent me. He was off at college then and his father and I got close. Mr. Darcy practically adopted me. My mom got the money that was left when my dad passed on and she wasn't too interested in spending it on anybody but herself," there was real bitterness in Wickham's voice, "so Mr. Darcy offered to send me to college. I was a sophomore at UCLA when he died and my dreams went with him. Once the younger Darcy got control of the family money, he decided that he didn't like any of it leaving his hands and cut me off without a penny. Consequently, I lost out on the job at Pemberley that Mr. Darcy had promised me when I finished college.

"Oh my God, what an asshole," was all that Elizabeth could think of to say. "So his whole family's as snobby as he is?"

"With the exception of his late father, yeah. They're one of those blue-blooded social register families and don't let anyone forget it. Even his sister is a pretentious bitch, and she's only a teenager. I mean, I know I shouldn't say that, her being just a kid and all, but she can't help it. She's been taught that she's better than everyone else, so she believes it."

Wickham's attention was caught at this point by Lydia, who had finally selected another dress she deemed worthy of soliciting a second opinion. This dress still showed cleavage, but was not as wildly inappropriate as her first selection.

Smiling briefly at Lydia before turning back to Elizabeth, Wickham finished his story in the most charming manner he could. "She's nothing like your sisters. They're around the same age but so friendly and outgoing. It's great that there are so many of you."

Lydia was flattered by the compliment, even if it was not stated directly to her. She really liked this guy, even if he was a bit old, and decided to invite him over for the next weekend.

"It's Mary's birthday, but that's really just an excuse. Mom loves to have parties, barbecues especially, 'cause then she doesn't have to clean up inside. It'll be like a open house, come any time on Saturday afternoon."

After looking to Elizabeth for approval, Wickham replied. "That sounds great." He then went on to compliment Lydia's latest dress selection.

"I like it too Lydia, can you afford it?" Elizabeth asked practically.

"Yeah, but I can't get those new earrings I wanted. Can I borrow something of yours?"

"Sure, if you help me hurry Kitty up; we've been here for hours." Elizabeth glanced at her watch, and was surprised to see how much time really had passed. They needed to get home soon if they wanted to eat dinner while it was still hot.

"Like you even noticed." Lydia was disdainful as she looked meaningfully at Wickham, but went to hurry her sister along anyway.

Kitty chose a dress rather quickly under Lydia's stern direction and the young women parted ways with their male companion after securing a promise that they would see him the next week.

-o-o-o-o-

The teenagers paid for their selections and headed toward the parking lot chattering incessantly while their sister / chauffeur tried not to hear them and rolled her eyes when she did.

"George is so hot." Lydia said, not speaking to either of her sisters in particular.

One sister giggled and nodded her agreement, but the other reprimanded her. "Lydia, he's twice your age."

"No he's not Lizzy! God, I thought you were good at math. He's only like ten years older than me."

"He's closer to my age than yours." Was Kitty's contribution to the conversation.

"Whatever. Anyway, it's no big deal. And it doesn't even matter. He's interested in Lizzy anyway. So there's something clearly lacking in his taste!"

The younger girls giggled while Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She knew that the drive home would seem much longer than fifteen minutes with the two of them in the car.


	9. Chapter 9

Clarifying note: _One reviewer asked for clarification on where Darcy had gone to school, which is a valid question. I have a spreadsheet, so I know what I have established (I only hope I always remember to update it) but perhaps what I did was confusing to other readers, so here it is. Darcy's father went to Harvard (with Wickam's father) and Darcy went to Yale (with Bingley) as an undergrad, but he did get his MBA from Harvard after that. Elizabeth goes to U of M, where she is a senior. Mary is also a student there, an underclassman. Please let me know if anything else needs to be made more clear, sometimes when things makes sense to me (even if it is because I made them up) I assume they make sense to everybody._

**Chapter 9**

_Monday 18 September 2000 – Wednesday 20 September 2000_

When Elizabeth returned from class on Monday, Jane had some exciting news to share.

"I got a job!"

"Congratulations Jane, I'm so happy for you. Tell me all about it."

Jane proceeded to do so, smiling the entire time. She was thrilled that she would be able to begin as soon as Wednesday, but her sister was less sure about the job as she heard more.

"I'm really happy for you Jane, but are you sure you want to do that? It seems like such a step down."

"From unemployed?"

"I just mean that you have a degree in psychology, are you sure you want to be someone's secretary?"

Jane smiled patiently at her sister. She understood that Elizabeth was only thinking of her happiness, but explained that she really did want to stay in town and that this job was the one she was able to get. Also the position involved a lot more than answering phone calls and taking dictation. The company she would be working for was new in town, and she would get to do a lot of organizational set-up in addition to some Human Resources type work. If there was anything that could convince Elizabeth that Jane would be content at her new job, it was the way her eyes lit up when she talked about setting up a filing system. For some reason the eldest Bennet girl thrived on alphabetization and neatness. The sisters tended to understand each other fairly well, and the conflict was not of long duration. Soon Elizabeth agreed to be happy for Jane, and their discourse moved on to other topics.

That evening, the rest of the family was told of Jane's new employment and their reactions were varied.

Kitty and Lydia did not care much one way or another. The two of them fit quite well into the self-absorbed teenage girl stereotype. It was nearly impossible to interest them in topics other than themselves, boys, and clothes.

After congratulating Jane on finding a job about which she was excited, Mary began to rant on gender disparity in the workplace, and how even well-educated women tend to find themselves in professionally submissive situations beneath undeserving male bosses. Eventually she left off her rant to disapprove of her mother's reaction to Jane's news.

Mrs. Bennet thought it was wonderful that Jane had found a job that could so easily be put aside when she got married, suggesting that the change in vocation might occur rather soon with a lewd wink.

"Don't be ridiculous Mom." Elizabeth felt the need to interject on Jane's behalf when she saw that her sister was shocked into silence by their mother's implication. "They haven't even been dating two weeks yet."

"They've already been on twelve dates!" Mrs. Bennet protested. "That takes months for most people. You mark my words: Jane'll have a ring on her finger by the new year."

Dr. Bennet used the shocked silence of his family to put in his two cents on the subject of Jane's new job. His initial reaction was remarkably like that of Elizabeth, but he was less placated by his daughter's explanation of her full duties as she understood them.

-o-o-o-o-

On Tuesday, Jane went out to lunch with Bingley and told him that it would be their last opportunity on a weekday for some time.

She decided not to tell her boyfriend anything about her new job. It had been so weird telling her family about it. Not all of their responses had been encouraging and although she knew that Bingley would be uniformly upbeat, she felt like it would jinx her new job somehow to share the details with too many people before it had even begun.

In celebration of Jane's big news, and in preparation for their soon to be diminished time together, Bingley decided to take the afternoon off and spend it with her.

"Won't you fall behind in your work?" Jane asked worriedly.

"Nah, it'll pile up a bit I guess, but that's for my assistant and Darcy to worry about."

"You never worry about anything, do you Charles?"

"I try not to. Does that bother you?" Bingley's brow furrowed a bit in concern. He had had women tell him in the past that he was too carefree, too lackadaisical. It had never mattered to him before if that drove them away, but all of a sudden he found himself fearing the answer to his question.

"Of course not." Jane leaned across the table to kiss him briefly on the lips. "It's one of my favorite things about you."

Bingley could not keep the smile from spreading across his face at her response. It remained firmly in place until he dropped her at her front door nearly eight hours later.

That evening, Jane spent an inordinate amount of time selecting her clothes for the next day, and a smart grey suit was hanging on her closet door when she went to bed at ten o'clock, in hopes that if she slept early, her first day of work would arrive sooner.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth got home from class in the mid-afternoon on Wednesday. She waited impatiently for a few hours, eager to hear about her sister's experience at her new job.

When Jane got home early that evening with a shell-shocked look on her face, she headed straight for Elizabeth's room where her sister was lying on her bed doing homework.

"Lizzy, you won't believe what happened today."

"I've been waiting for you to get home, I really want to hear about it, believable or not."

"Charles is my boss!"

"What?"

"His sister Caroline hired me. The interview was sort of informal, so it didn't seem weird to me that she never told me her last name. She must not have known who I was either or she wouldn't have hired me without a warning."

Elizabeth doubted that was the case, she vaguely remembered Charles's sisters from Charlotte's party. They had both stayed as out of sight as possible, but that just added to their aura of pretentiousness.

Jane went on to tell of the awkward situation that had occurred at her new job when it turned out that she had been dating her boss. Fortunately, with no one else currently working at the Netherfield building, there were no rumors yet about preferential treatment. She was worried, however, about how it would look to the employees who would be starting within the month when they found out about her relationship with Charles Bingley.

Elizabeth comforted her sister the best she could, but Jane was pragmatic and insisted her concern was unnecessary. She knew that she would ultimately have to give up either her job or her beau, but she had no idea which to choose.


	10. Chapter 10

_I have been trying to personally respond to reviews, but I have not officially thanked those have been submitting them. I ought to tell you all that I am very grateful for the feedback. My story is nowhere close to being finished, although I have certainly written what feels, to me, like a heck of a lot. I am editing chapters as I post them, but I need to get moving on continuing the story so that I do not have to take a huge break between postings at some point in the future. Reviews provide me with the encouragement I need to move ahead, and I appreciate receiving them so, thank you :)_

**Chapter 10**

_Saturday 23 September 2000_

At the close of her first half-week of work, Jane had still not come any closer to making a decision about her job and boyfriend.

As noon approached, Dr. Bennet fired up the grill as family friends began to arrive to celebrate his middle daughter's birthday.

Although Mary was familiar with most of the guests, she was close to few of them, and knew that her birthday was just another excuse for her mother to entertain. She was most excited by the presence of her uncle, Edward Gardiner, and his family. They were visiting from Chicago for the weekend, and Mary was looking forward to seeing her young cousins.

Jane was a little sad that Bingley was unable to join them. He had agreed to meet Darcy at the airport when he returned from his trip and had sent his regrets. Elizabeth had snorted in disgust when she heard this news, and could only comment about how selfish a man had to be to drag his friend away from the little non-work time he got with his girlfriend. Jane had rolled her eyes, once again, at her sister's insistence on seeing the worst in the man who had insulted her.

Elizabeth was delighting in playing with her cousins when Wickham arrived at the party. After sending little Doug and Steve Gardiner back to their mother, she made a beeline for the charming man.

Wickham flashed his winning smile at Mrs. Bennet as Elizabeth introduced them, and the older woman's reaction disconcerted her second daughter. Elizabeth found it disturbing that she and her mother had the same taste in men. In fact, the idea that her mother had any thought of men at all was foreign to her. She could hardly recall her parents having any sort of amorous interaction.

Shaking off any disturbing thoughts regarding her parents' relationship, Elizabeth began introducing Wickham around the party. Madeline Gardiner was delighted to meet the young man whom her favorite niece had called both handsome and charming during their morning chat

Wickham was happy to be led about the Bennets' backyard by the lovely Elizabeth and delighted in meeting a plethora of new people. He mingled with professors and students, bartenders and businessmen. He could not help but notice that the Bennet family certainly had an eclectic group of friends. As Elizabeth left him to greet more people, he found that his tale of woe was eagerly lapped up by the company. Mrs. Bennet's friends in particular were especially fond of gossip. Her sister, Jean Phillips, took Wickham by the arm and entreated him to tell her more. Having heard about how rude this Darcy man was from her sister and nieces, she longed to hear anything that might discredit him and Wickham was more than happy to provide all the details he could.

Once Wickham had told his entire story a few times, even he started to get bored of it. He decided another type of attention was in order and was happy to find himself enjoying the company of the lively youngest two Bennet sisters; having established that the guest of honor was, as described, a militant feminist and immune to his charm.

-o-o-o-o-

As Wickham was bemoaning his misfortunes to a mass of gossiping old biddies, his accused nemesis was less than thirty miles away, exiting the international terminal of the Detroit airport. Bingley was, in his usual manner, behind schedule, but his friend did not have to wait very long for his ride.

Darcy was taking his phone out of his briefcase when a red BMW sedan pulled up in front of him. The driver waved exuberantly and popped the trunk open. Darcy loaded his suitcase and took his briefcase with him to the front seat.

"Thank you for agreeing to pick me up at the airport, Bingley."

"No problem Darcy, I know you hate those impersonal limo services. Plus I missed you."

"I thought you might, with all the business decisions that need to be made. How is SB Tech's newest location working out so far?"

"It's not business, my problem I mean. Well it is, but it's personal too, mostly. I guess it's just complicated. That's the problem though, that it's both. If it was just one or the other, business or personal I mean, it wouldn't be a problem. You know what I mean?"

Darcy patiently waited for his friend to finish his nonsensical explanation. "Not at all, you will have to express yourself more clearly."

Bingley sighed and pulled away from the curb, thinking about how to phrase his problem. It was not until he had merged onto the freeway that he felt he had gathered his thoughts enough to restate his dilemma.

"It's Jane." Was all he said at first.

"Alright, that sounds like a personal issue to me."

"That's the problem, it was personal – she was personal and then Carol went and hired her and made her business too!"

"Excuse me?"

"Jane's been looking for a job. She has an undergrad degree in psych, but there's not much she can do with that professionally, so she needs to get a Masters or PhD or something. In order to pay for more education, she needs to get a job in town so she can live at home and save money. This is a city full of college graduates looking for work, so she's had a hard time of it. Anyway, to make a long story short – "

Darcy coughed to cover up his laugh at the idea of the story qualifying as short. "I am sorry Bingley. So, you were saying, she asked you for a job?" He was beginning to understand the dilemma.

"No, she wouldn't do that. But she was going through the paper and whatnot looking for jobs in general, and she came across the posting for my assistant. Carol interviewed her and hired her without even consulting me, which is what I asked her to do, and then on Wednesday when she started work, I almost had a heart attack."

"Was she looking for special favors because of your relationship?"

"No, she didn't even know I would be her boss. She told me that the woman who interviewed her only introduced herself as 'Caroline' and she had no idea that I owned the company, I guess I never referred to it by name in conversation. Anyway, now she's all uncomfortable and talking about quitting and it's only been three days."

Darcy was, by nature, a suspicious man. He knew that this sort of thing was unlikely to happen by accident and that the positioning of Jane as her boyfriend's assistant must have been deliberate by either Jane Bennet or Caroline Bingley. He could not see what Caroline might have to gain from the situation.

"Did Caroline know Jane's name?"

"Of course, she hired her."

"No, I mean before the interview, did she know the name of your girlfriend?"

"I thought so, but she was surprised when I asked her why she'd hired my girlfriend. I mean I've talked about Jane, but I don't know if I ever really used her last name, and Jane's a common enough first name. I think it was just a big misunderstanding, but I don't know what to do about it."

"The situation cannot continue as it is for long. Engineering and marketing staff will be joining you next month, and you must not allow your employees to think that you have given Jane Bennet any sort of preferential treatment."

"Yeah, I know. But I really like her, that's why I need your advice. You know how much I trust your judgment on this sort of thing."

Darcy raised one eyebrow at that comment. "I was unaware that this situation had arisen before."

"Shut up, you know what I mean. Anyway, think about it and let me know your take. In the meantime, tell me about your trip. Was London nice? Did you get to see much of the city?"

"I saw an excessive amount of the inside of a boardroom, but I did make time to visit a few museums."

"Of course you did, you big nerd. You never go anywhere without hitting at least one."

The rest of the drive from the airport was filled with discussions of various museums of the world and the wonders housed within them.

As Bingley took the exit to downtown Ann Arbor, he asked his friend if they could stop by the Bennets' house, as they were having a barbecue.

"Do those people lack the proper fixtures to cook indoors?" was Darcy's curt reply. He was not looking forward to having to see the chestnut-haired vixen of the last time. He was unsure of his ability to conceal his attraction to her if he spent much time in her presence.

"What's that supposed to mean? They've only had two cookouts since we've met them. Anyway, it's Jane's sister's birthday; so it's not like they don't have a good reason."

"If this is a birthday party, it would be uncouth of us to arrive without a gift." Darcy resisted the urge to inquire about which sister's birth they were celebrating.

"No, Jane said it's not like that, we can just show up to say hi. Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, I want you to get to know Jane better."

It was too late to decline anyway, he could see that Bingley was already headed toward the Bennet's neighborhood.

"All right, but I do not wish to stay long. I feel quite exhausted from traveling."

"You can leave whenever you want. My new house is just around the corner anyway."

"You purchased a house?"

"Not exactly, it's rented right now. I'll decide whether to buy it later, but for now it's a good location. It's on the same street as that party we went to on our first night here, just a block away from Jane's house."

"That seems excessively convenient."

"You know Darce, I don't think there's any such thing as 'excessively convenient', you just like four-syllable words. Anyway, we just moved in today. It's furnished and you can go there anytime you get bored at the party."

-o-o-o-o-

Bingley parked in the garage of a house on Meryton Dr. and walked the two blocks down Longbourn St. to the Bennets' house. This time, instead of ringing the doorbell, the two gentlemen merely walked around the side of the house toward the noise they heard coming from the back yard. As they rounded the corner from the side yard, Darcy noticed a beautiful sight. The coffee-colored locks he had so admired weeks ago were twinkling red in the late afternoon sun. The formerly tight curls had been brushed into soft waves that cascaded down her back. She was seated on the grass facing away from him, talking to a man whose face was blocked from his view.

As he moved closer to the chatting couple, he heard a voice that made him stop in his tracks. Deciding that he was in no mood to confront Wickham, the man to whom he knew it belonged, Darcy turned on his heel and addressed his friend quietly.

"On second thought Bingley, I find that I'm too jet-lagged for socialization tonight. I think that I will return to your house after all." With that he turned on his heel and left without acknowledging anyone at the party.

Bingley shrugged his shoulders and greeted Elizabeth, who pointed him in the direction of his girlfriend, who had just noticed him, and was quickly on her way to see him. Jane was eager to introduce him to her relatives, and Elizabeth and Wickham fell back into their conversation.


	11. Chapter 11

_I am just loving the author's notes now apparently, and to think, I started off thinking I would avoid them. Anyway, I have been proofreading my work as a document on my computer, but not once I uploaded it here. I do not know why, but all of my breaks seem to get deleted when I convert them to whatever format it is that is used for story posting. This must make it quite difficult to see breaks as I imagined them due to either time or location, so now that I know there is a problem, I will put them back in place. I have gone back and fixed older chapters too, but if you already read them (which you probably have, since you are here at Chapter 11) you do not need to go back, there is no content change. Apparently tildes and asterisks make bad scene breaks according to the powers that be, so I am now using _-o-o-o-o-_, which seems to work with the program._

**Chapter 11**

_Thursday 28 September 2000_

The gloomy late afternoon was just perfect for a nap. Elizabeth knew she should not take one or she would never fall asleep that night. However her head ached and the couch beckoned, so against her better judgment, she lay down upon it.

Some time later, she was startled out of her half-sleep by the ringing of the telephone. She considered getting up to answer it, but chose not to make the effort when she saw her mother bustle into the living room. Considering the effect that her mother's shrill tones would have on her headache, Elizabeth chose to go upstairs for the duration of the conversation.

It was only a few moments later that Mrs. Bennet interfered with her daughter's plan for a peaceful evening.

"Lizzy!" Her sharp voice carried easily up the stairs. "Phone for you!"

Grumbling slightly, Elizabeth got up from her new resting place on her bed and stumbled out onto the landing to pick up the telephone.

"Hello," Her annoyance was controlled, but still evident to the person on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry Lizzy, am I interrupting something?"

"Jane! No, of course not, shouldn't you be home by now?" Elizabeth squinted at the wall clock.

"That's why I called. I need a ride home, but Mom said Dad's out and she needs the van."

"Are you okay?"

"Mostly, but I don't think I can quite make it to the bus stop, I sprained my ankle."

"Charles can't drive you home?"

"He left his lights on today, so he has to wait for AAA* to come and give him a jump. And when I called the cab company, they said they were backed up and couldn't get here for at least an hour."

"I'm sorry Jane, I'll work on Mom and if I can get her to relent on the car thing, I'll call you back."

"Thanks Lizzy," Jane replied, then lowered her voice to almost a whisper "I don't think she really needs the van tonight anyway. She was saying ridiculous things about me using this time to seduce Charles. I haven't even made up my mind about our whole situation yet."

"I know Jane, I'll do what I can."

By the time she hung up the phone, Elizabeth was concerned about her sister. Although Jane had not said anything about it, Elizabeth could hear her wheezing. Her asthma was acting up and Jane had a habit of not carrying her inhaler. Elizabeth confirmed her sister's lack with a quick glance into Jane's room which revealed the medicine sitting on her nightstand.

"Crap." She said aloud.

Elizabeth grabbed the inhaler and headed downstairs, intent on using it as leverage to convince their mother to let her borrow the minivan.

She arrived in the kitchen just in time to hear the garage door close behind Mrs. Bennet as she drove off, leaving only empty space where the family vehicles should have been.

Elizabeth heaved a sigh and looked at her watch. The bus going downtown wouldn't come by for forty-five minutes. She shoved the inhaler into her pocket and made a decision. She walked into the living room where she found Lydia and Kitty squabbling over the remote control.

"If Jane calls, tell her I'm on my way but I couldn't get the car."

"Yeah, whatever." Came the distracted reply from the sofa.

-o-o-o-o-

A few minutes later, Elizabeth was on her bicycle and pedaling toward the Netherfield building when it started to rain. By the time she was locking her bike to the rack down the street from Jane's office, there was ominous looking lightning in the sky.

Elizabeth stood under the awning in front of the building and gently wrung out her hair, but there was little she could do about the state of her clothes. Deciding that she needed as much time to dry out as possible, she elected to take the stairs up to the main office.

By the time she reached the fifth floor, Elizabeth was still dripping wet and just a bit out of breath. Heedless of her appearance, she walked through the door and into a man she had hoped would be absent.

"Excuse me!" She exclaimed. "I didn't think anybody would be standing so close to the door, I didn't mean to just come barreling in here like that."

Darcy said nothing but moved aside to let her pass further into the office while brushing stray droplets of water from his suit. His lips were set in a firm line and when she looked at him Elizabeth could not help but notice that his eyes were narrowed and focused on her person.

"What are you doing here?" A disdainful voice came from behind her.

Elizabeth spun around to face the speaker without a thought to the arc of wet hair that spun out behind her catching Darcy full in the face. She opened her mouth to apologize, but decided against it, the jerk deserved to get a little wet. Besides, what was he doing standing so close to her anyway? She chose to completely ignore him even though she could feel his eyes boring into her from behind and addressed the woman she assumed to be Caroline Bingley.

"I'm looking for Jane. She said she just hurt her ankle, but I heard her wheezing on the phone. I brought her inhaler. "

"Did you have to park very far away . . . Eliza, is it?"

"Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Lizzy; and no, there was a rack for my bike just outside the building."

"You expect to take your sister home on a motorcycle? That should be interesting."

"It would be more interesting than you think if I tried to take her home myself, I rode my Schwinn, we'll have to get a cab home. I just wanted to bring her asthma medicine as quickly as possible so she would be okay while we waited. Could you tell me where she is?"

It was Darcy who answered her. "She is in Bingley's office, through that door there." He pointed off to the right without ceasing his disturbing staring.

"Thanks."

Elizabeth knocked on the closed door and entered when bade to do so. She saw her sister sitting on the floor of the office attempting to take deep breaths, with her boyfriend/boss sitting behind her rubbing her back and looking concerned.

"Lizzy! Did you bring the car?" She managed to wheeze, the asthma was getting worse.

"No, sorry, Mom took off with it, I guess she had some really important errands. We'll have to take a cab or wait until Dad gets home, but I did bring your inhaler." She produced the treasure from her pants pocket and was rewarded with a grateful look from her sister.

"Thank you Lizzy, I really should start keeping this in my purse."

"That seems like a good idea to me. For now though, we'll just chalk it up to experience."

A couple of puffs later, Jane was breathing normally. Elizabeth was just starting to broach the subject of how they would get home when the power went out.

"Uh oh," Charles said when it did not immediately flicker back on "I don't know if you guys are going home at all now.

"Why not?" Jane asked, alarmed "Cabs don't run on electricity."

"No, but traffic lights do and if they're out, it will take even longer to get one here, but that's beside the point because the elevator does too." Elizabeth replied, seeing what Charles meant. "I don't think it would be good for your ankle to try to hobble down all those stairs."

"And as much as I wish I could carry you down, I'm just not a strong enough guy that I could be trusted not to drop you. That's not a risk I'm willing to take."

At that moment Darcy came through the open door of the office followed so closely by Caroline that when he stopped she had to lean backward to keep her face from smashing into his back.

"Bingley, where are the flashlights?"

"I don't have any."

"Don't you have an emergency kit?"

"It's on my 'to do' list."

Alright, we need to either call a taxi or get your car started so that we can get back to your house. I assume you have some semblance of supplies there." Darcy's voice suggested that he was not at all confident of this.

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it, but there are probably some candles or something lying around. I'm not going though. Jane can't get down the stairs, so I'm going to wait here with her until the power comes back on. Lizzy, you're welcome to stay too if you want, but I'd understand if you want to get home."

"Riding my bike through the downpour would be pretty unpleasant, I think I'll just hang out here with you guys, but maybe in a different room." She raised her eyebrows at the couple and smiled at her sister's blush.

Darcy's eyes flicked from Bingley to Elizabeth, noting that the dim light of the stormy evening gave her an ethereal glow. "I suppose that if there are no supplies at your house, I might as well remain here also."

Caroline had come around to stand behind Darcy and looked irritated. "Why shouldn't we go home if we can? Even without power it's more comfortable. We have toothbrushes there, and beds." She looked at Darcy suggestively as she said the last word, but he did not even bother to glance in her direction as he replied.

"Whether you leave or not is up to you, no one will force you to stay. You are free to call a cab. If AAA arrives first and gets the car started, you are welcome to drive it home along with Louisa and Hurst if they desire to join you."

"Speaking of Louisa and Hurst, where are they?" Charles asked. "I haven't seen them in at least an hour."

"Walter said he was tired and went to one of the empty offices to take a nap, Louisa joined him a little while later." Caroline rolled her eyes as she spoke. "They couldn't go home because you insisted on carpooling, then left the headlights on."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Charles defended himself. "The carpooling, not the lights thing; that wasn't an idea at all, more of an accident really. Anyway, go ahead and call your cab, when it gets here we'll decide who all's going home."

Caroline pulled out her cell phone to dial directory assistance. She was sure that by the time transportation arrived, Darcy would be just as desperate to get out of this hell-hole as she was.

-o-o-o-o-

Caroline Bingley had gone past frustrated and was officially pissed off. She could not get a signal for her cellular telephone, and the office had all cordless phones, useless in a power outage. She realized that she would have to wait until the Lexus got a jump start before she could go anywhere. As irritated as she was, it occurred to her that this situation could be turned to her advantage. Darcy seemed to be attracted to that dampened hussy, but an excellent opportunity had arisen to prove her unworthy.

To keep themselves occupied, the company had begun to talk a bit, and a conversation about music had begun. Caroline saw her chance when Elizabeth professed her love of showtunes.

"I don't know how they can call that music." She sneered.

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth was appalled at the rude interruption.

"It's just all so silly. I don't know who could possibly think of it as culture."

"Culture or not – I certainly think it is by the way – I have no idea what you mean when you say showtunes aren't real music. What sort of stuff do you like to listen to?"

"I enjoy sophisticated music: _Carmen_, _La Bohème_, _Aida_ . . ."

"I love _Aida_!" Elizabeth interjected, but the smirk on her face suggested that she was not wholly in agreement with Caroline.

"Oh Eliza, are you particularly familiar with the work of Verdi?" One carefully shaped eyebrow was raised in disbelief.

"Only in passing, what I meant was the new rock opera, I know Elton John is probably a little low brow for you, but I enjoy the spectacle." At Caroline's derisive sneer, Elizabeth asserted herself. "What gives you the right to judge other people's tastes?"

Darcy found himself silently rooting for Elizabeth in the increasingly heated debate, despite his tacit agreement with Caroline's opinion on the topic.

"I studied music appreciation at Brown." she stated, as if to end the whole discussion.

"So you know your stuff pretty well then. I guess all those years I've spent in choir and glee club leave me wanting in the 'appreciation' department." Elizabeth countered snidely.

"Based on your professed musical tastes, it seems that way."

"Well, we don't have many choices of entertainment here at the moment. What would you say to a little demonstration?"

"What do you mean?" Caroline tried to suppress her excitement at the thought of performing. She knew that she had an excellent voice and Darcy would be impressed with her talent. She had never had a chance to show off for him.

"You sing a song from your _Aida_, and I'll sing one from mine. Everyone can make their own decisions about what they prefer."

"That does sound like an excellent way to pass the time." Caroline agreed, confident in her victory.

After a few sips of water and a great show of warming up her voice, the haughty woman clapped her hands to call everybody to attention. It took some doing, but eventually she had an audience of six. She chose a performance spot in front of the largest window in the office. Although it was a dreary gray evening, the occasional flashes of lightning back lit her in a dramatic manner Caroline preened for a moment, then began:

_Qui Radamès verrà!_

_Che vorrà dirmi? Io tremo!_

_Ah! se tu vieni a recarmi, o crudel,_

_L'ultimo addio,_

_del Nilo i cupi vortici _

_Mi daran tomba e pace forse,_

_e pace forse e oblio._

_Oh patria mia, mai più ti rivedrò!_

_Mai più! mai più ti rivedrò!_

_O cieli azzurri o dolci aure native_

_Dove sereno il mio mattin brillò_

Caroline extended her bosom and looked seductively at Darcy. She batted her eyelashes in her usual manner and flicked her platinum hair over her shoulder as she continued in her clear, bright soprano voice.

_O verdi colli o profumate rive_

_O patria mia, mai più ti rivedrò!_

_Mai più! no, no, mai più, mai più!_

_O fresche valli, o queto asil beato_

_Che un di promesso dall'amor mi fu_

_Or che d'amore il sogno è dileguato_

_O patria mia, non ti vedrò mai più._

_Oh patria mia, mai più ti rivedrò! _*

Her voice was pleasant and her Italian pronunciation passable. Her performance though, while technically proficient, lacked feeling. Her small audience applauded politely, then more vigorously as she glared at her siblings for support.

As Caroline stepped away from the window, she shot a look of challenge at Elizabeth as if daring the younger woman to outdo her.

Elizabeth only smiled at the challenge and took her place before the window. She raised her hands before her and began singing

_Every story, tale or memoir _

_Every saga or romance _

_Whether true or fabricated _

_Whether planned or happenstance _

_Whether sweeping through the ages _

_Casting centuries aside _

_Or a hurried brief recital _

_Just a thirty-minute ride _

As she sang, her hands helped her paint a picture, they reached out to the others and drew them into her own world. Elizabeth's eyes lit up as if she was absolutely delighted to be sharing a secret with all of them. Darcy attempted to look away, but found himself unable; her rich alto was strangely seductive.

_Whether bright or melancholy _

_Rough and ready, finely spun _

_Whether with a thousand players _

_Or a lonely cast of one _

_Every story, new or ancient _

_Bagatelle or work of art _

_All are tales of human failing _

_All are tales of love at heart _*

The second song was more interesting. It was in English, which gave its singer a slight advantage because everyone could understand it, but it was the real emotion behind every word that caused it to shine. There was no attempt to show off in Elizabeth's manner, only the genuine enjoyment of an art form as she shared her passion with the room. Despite a few off notes, and a wavering of pitch, everyone in the audience enjoyed Elizabeth's performance more than Caroline's; and to the latter's chagrin, their applause demonstrated it.

-o-o-o-o-

It was an hour before AAA arrived to jump start the Bingleys' Lexus. The time was spent as much in conversation as the group could stand and several of them were more than ready to go home by the time help arrived.

Louisa and her husband were ready to get out of there as soon as possible, and Caroline was eager to join them. When Darcy showed no sign of leaving however, she reevaluated her options. She could go home to a dark house that at least had a bed and proper food which the refrigerator was keeping passably cold or she could remain in this bare office with little furniture and only the fattening snacks that her brother preferred all night. The choice would have been obvious, except for the wildcard that was said brother's friend.

She had noticed the way Darcy was looking at Jane's sister that evening. That horrible little drowned rat was monopolizing his attention and she could not let it continue. No, her choice was clear; there was no way she was going to leave poor Darcy to the wiles of that Eliza girl. Caroline realized she would just have to stay and protect him.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* AAA (American Automobile Association) is an auto club that provides emergency roadside assistance among other services to members.

* "O Patria Mia" is a soprano aria from _Aida_, musicby Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Information (including a translation) is available online at the Aria Database, to which will not allow me to link (just like any other webpage, which I found earlier when trying to link to wikipedia pages in footnotes) but if you remove the extraneous spaces, this should help you:

http: / / www. aria-database. com / translations / aida03 _ patria. txt

*"Every Story is a Love Story" is a mezzo solo from _Aida_, music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Friday 29 September 2000_

Five sleep-deprived people were woken up at six o'clock in the morning when the power came back on in the Netherfield Building. It seemed as if every light in the office had been left on as well as the radio. The printers and computers hummed and chirped as they restarted themselves.

Jane was the first to become fully alert and flushed when she realized in what close proximity she and Bingley had been sleeping. She scooted away from him and towards Elizabeth, who was still half-asleep and unaware that her shirt had come partially unbuttoned, exposing a bit of her lacy bra to view. At her sister's cough and pointed look, the brunette noticed her problem and moved to quickly rectify the situation. Across the room, Darcy was not quick enough looking away, to avoid being caught staring by Elizabeth and Caroline, who were both displeased (although for different reasons) to note his interest.

"Well," Elizabeth decided to break the awkward silence "I'm pretty hungry. I would ask who wants breakfast, but I'm pretty sure that nothing will be open yet."

Darcy cleared his throat a few times as if to collect himself before responding. "We could call around I suppose, and see what we can have delivered."

"I'm pretty sure their power would have just come back on too, they won't have had time to make anything. Anyway, I need to get home and shower before class. I'll call my dad and ask him to give us a ride. I'm sure he can drop you guys off on the way." She turned to address Bingley. "Jane says you're living right around the corner these days."

"That would be awesome, thanks. I doubt that either Louisa or Hurst is awake or willing to come get us." He said, partially in response to his sister's horrified look at the thought of a getting a ride from a Bennet.

"The, uh, space might be a problem." Caroline tried to think of an excuse. "We can call a cab, can't we Darcy?" She looked hopefully at the tall man who seemed to be doing his best to ignore the entire situation.

Elizabeth did not hear the protest, she was already on the phone. "Hi Daddy, sorry to wake you up, but can you come pick us up? Jane sprained her ankle and can't walk home." She paused for a moment, listening to his response, then laughed at something he said. Although Darcy was not looking at her, he turned even further away as if not seeing her could diffuse the melodious sound of her laughter. "There are five of us here, so you'll need to bring the minivan. Thanks Dad, we'll see you soon."

-o-o-o-o-

Much to Elizabeth's horror, it was not her father who came to pick them up. When the Bennet family minivan pulled up in front of the Netherfield building, it was a hysterical woman in pajamas, curlers, and untied sneakers who exited the vehicle and quickly enveloped Jane in a hug.

"Oh my poor baby! Your father said you were hurt and he was coming to pick you up, but I couldn't let him just leave. You need your mother now!"

"I'm fine Mom, really. It's just that my ankle's a little twisted."

"Of course you're fine," her mother cooed, "you had your lovely Charles taking such good care of you.

Bingley smiled and said that Jane was nothing but delightful company and a pleasure to care for. He was able to completely ignore Mrs. Bennet's mildly flirtatious eyelashes. Darcy, on the other hand, grimaced at the spectacle, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the effusive lady's other daughter.

Mrs. Bennet started to help Jane into the car until she noticed that her daughter's beau was willing to perform the service. Soon they were on their way home with Elizabeth and Darcy sharing the back bench seat, and Caroline silently fuming in the middle next to her brother.

There was a short span of uncomfortable silence, until Jane broke through it meekly. "I think I'm going to have to call in sick today Charles."

Caroline's sneer grew more pronounced, but went unnoticed, as nobody was looking at her.

"Don't bother," was her boss's reply, "I don't think we'll be open today anyway."

"Thank you." Jane smiled gratefully from her twisted position in the front seat.

Instead of replying verbally, Bingley just winked at her. A response that her mother, thankfully, did not catch.

-o-o-o-o-

Moments later, with direction from the seat behind her, Mrs. Bennet pulled the green minivan into an unfamiliar driveway.

"Oh my, what a lovely home!" She exclaimed. "Are you going to have a housewarming party?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, but that seems like a fun idea. We could do a barbecue, those are always fun."

"Really Charles?" His sister's exasperated voice spoke up for the first time since they had left the office.

"What are you complaining about Carol? You love planning parties." He climbed out of the car and addressed their driver. "Thank you for the ride. When we figure out a date for the housewarming, I'll be sure to let you know. You'll all be invited of course."

"You are such a dear." Mrs. Bennet gave him a toothy grin. "I'm sure we'll all be looking forward to it.

Caroline tumbled ungracefully from the slider door. If only Darcy hadn't been seated in the way back, he would have helped her gallantly from the car. Her brow was furrowed in displeasure as she looked at the bitch who had ridden beside him. Eliza had her eyes closed and was leaning her head against the window. She barely moved as her seatmate slid away from her and exited the vehicle.

Darcy looked at Elizabeth as he moved toward the door. He could tell that she was only feigning sleep, but was grateful for her ruse. It afforded him the luxury of not having to find something to say to her. Instead he paused beside Jane's opened window and addressed the occupants of the front seat exclusively.

"Thank you for the ride Mrs. Bennet. Jane, I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks, I'm sure I will." Only Jane acknowledged him. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yes, of course, have a good weekend."

"You too."

With one last involuntary look at the passenger in the far corner of the van, Darcy waved farewell to the Bennet ladies and moved toward the house.

-o-o-o-o-

"That Charles is certainly a nice young man." Mrs. Bennet cooed as she backed out of the Bingleys' driveway.

"Yeah, I really like him." Jane replied, a bit distracted. "I just wish it wasn't so complicated."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be for long. Once he decides to marry you, you'll never have to work again." Her mother's voice held a note of triumph with which Jane was not entirely comfortable. She looked to the back for support, but Elizabeth was still sleeping, or at least doing a good job of faking it.

A moment later they were home. Jane leaned heavily on her mother and Elizabeth groggily stumbled in the door, only to be met by her father and younger sisters having breakfast in the dining room.

"How was your evening?" Dr. Bennet addressed his eldest daughters. "Jane, I heard you hurt yourself, how are you feeling this morning?

"My ankle's just a little twisted. I'll be fine, Charles gave me the day off. I'm sure I'll be healed by Monday."

"I am pleased to hear it." He returned to eating his breakfast in a distracted manner.

Even in her half-asleep state, Elizabeth could tell that there was something upsetting her father, so she asked him about it.

"Do you remember my old friend from college, Amanda Collins?"

"Vaguely. She used to come visit sometimes when we were little. We called her Aunt Amanda and she had that weird kid; Billy, was it?"

"I believe he goes by Bill now, but yes, that is who I meant."

"Are they coming to visit?" Elizabeth inquired. "We haven't seen them in years, maybe he's less creepy now. I remember liking his mom though."

"I don't remember either of those people." Lydia whined, upset not to be involved in something.

"You were only a baby the last time they were here. We have not seen each other in some time. I never liked Bill's father and when Amanda chose to get back together with him, we sort of parted ways." Dr. Bennet explained. "In response to your question," he addressed Elizabeth, then the rest of his family, "Bill will be coming to town next week. Amanda died and he is honoring her last wishes."

"I'm sorry to hear that Daddy. I know how close you used to be." Jane scooted her chair closer to her father so that she could put her arm around his shoulder.

"Thank you Sweetheart." Dr. Bennet pressed a kiss to his eldest daughter's temple. "He should arrive on Friday."

"I'll make sure my room is guest-ready by then." She looked to Elizabeth. "Can you clear out space for me in yours?"

"Yeah, sure, but not right now." Elizabeth decided to forgo breakfast, and made her way up the stairs with hardly another word to anybody. She would be cranky, awake, and on her way to class in only a few hours.

-o-o-o-o-

In a house half of a block away, there was a bit more activity. The two members of the household who had returned the night before were still asleep on the second floor, but the three new arrivals were gathered in the kitchen, hungry from their long, uncomfortable night.

"What is wrong with that woman?" Caroline wailed.

"Mrs. Bennet?" Bingley said. "She's a bit odd I suppose, but a nice enough lady. And it was generous of her to give us all a ride home."

"It's not like it was out of her way, but that's not who I meant. I was talking about that irritating Eliza girl. What did she mean showing up like she did last night and dripping all over everything?"

Her brother hardly looked at her and continued spooning cereal into his mouth as he responded. "I think it proves how much she loves her sister." He lowered his voice to a mumble. "I can't imagine you doing that for anyone."

Darcy did his best to control his smirk, and had his expression well hidden by the time he was addressed.

"You must have noticed how unkempt she looked."

Before Darcy had to respond, Bingley jumped back into the conversation, but it was an unwelcome intrusion. "He noticed something alright, but it was more likely the way she looked like a contestant in a wet tee-shirt contest."

When Caroline turned to him with a judgmental glare, all Darcy could do was clear his throat and look down at his plate. Eventually, he managed to choke out "I had not noticed that specifically, but I suppose that the exertion and rain did give her a bit of a healthy glow. Her eyes especially were quite bright" He then immediately regretted his comment as he noticed Caroline's less delightful eyes narrowing in response.

"You know they have family in Chicago," she began innocuously, "but not anybody you're likely to know. Their uncle works in a factory." Her voice held a note of triumph at the distaste evident on Darcy's face.

"I don't see how that matters Carol."

"Don't you see, they're white trash."

"Caroline!" Bingley rarely used his sister's full name, so the reprimand was noted. It was not enough however, to keep her quiet.

"Jane's alright I guess, but that Eliza certainly acts low class."

"I had not noticed." Darcy decided to play Devil's Advocate, mostly because he disagreed, but also because it clearly irritated Caroline. "Besides, that epithet does not really apply, their father is a university professor with a Ph.D., they hardly live in a trailer park."

The bleached blond woman snorted in disdain as if to suggest that they might as well. Darcy decided that he could take no more of the conversation, he was dangerously close to admitting exactly how delightful he found Elizabeth Bennet, and that would not do at all. He chose instead to declare that he needed sleep and ascended the stairs toward his bedroom in silent contemplation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_Friday 6 October 2000_

By the time Elizabeth returned home from class on Friday, there was already a guest in residence at the Bennet household. His suitcase was in Jane's bedroom and his feet were on the coffee table as he sat in the living room conversing with Mrs. Bennet.

"Oh Lizzy!" Her mother gushed. "How lovely to see you. Bill here was just telling me all about New York." She beckoned Elizabeth in and dragged her down onto the couch. With a pat on her daughter's hand, Mrs. Bennet was off to the kitchen.

Elizabeth took in the man sitting on the sofa next to her. His dull brown hair was thick and greasy and his eyes were squinted in a way that kept her from determining their color. He was not blatantly unattractive; in fact, he seemed to have grown into the nose she remembered as being grossly oversized, but the way he was leering at her destroyed any chance she might have had of finding him tolerable.

Finding herself alone with a guest she had not seen in over a dozen years, Elizabeth found herself unsure of what to say. As it turned out, she need not have worried, Bill Collins was not a man to sit in silence for long. Elizabeth had barely introduced herself when he began telling her more than she had ever wanted to know about life in New York City and his life there as a very important lawyer.

-o-o-o-o-

That evening at dinner, Elizabeth was forced to hear every detail of Bill's life again, but at least had food to distract her. His particular errand in Ann Arbor was explained to the Bennet family and met with varying responses ranging from Dr. Bennet's fascination to Lydia's grossed-out incredulity.

"So you're like spreading her out all over the country?" The youngest Bennet's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Lydia!" her father admonished. "It suits your mother to want to spread her ashes around." He smiled sadly at Bill. "She lived a far more interesting and varied life than I have. I have lived here all my life and I am sure that I will die here as well. It would be fitting for my dust to remain forever as well I suppose."

"Tom, that's hardly appropriate dinner conversation." Said Mrs. Bennet disapprovingly.

"I disagree," her husband defended himself, "we are discussing Bill's errand, in which the very concept of mortality is firmly entrenched. Please continue." He addressed their guest. "Where else does your mother wish to see her ashes scattered?"

"Well, she didn't really specify. She asked me to leave a bit of her everywhere that mattered in her life. We didn't have a chance to go over specifics. We both kept putting that off, I guess we hoped that we would have more time." A shadow flickered across Bill's face, and he appeared for the first time, to Elizabeth at least, vulnerable and human. He gathered himself quickly and the emotion was gone. "I was hoping that you could help me Uncle Tom, I mean I know you were best friends, I'm sure you know a lot about her."

Dr. Bennet was startled by the familial name bestowed upon him by this odd man. "Just Tom is fine Bill, we are both adults now." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I can help you some, but we lost touch in the last several years, so I cannot give you a complete picture."

"She's been in DC since I was a teenager, I remember Columbus and Ann Arbor before that, and I know she was born in Arizona. It's the stuff in the middle I'm missing."

"She went to high school in Florida, did her undergraduate work at Stanford, and lived in Las Vegas for a few years before I met her. She never did tell me exactly what it was she did there." Dr. Bennet smiled enigmatically. "She moved around a few other times, but those were the major places in her life. How much time do you have?"

"Those places should be plenty, I foresee a long road trip ahead of me, maybe I should've flown. To answer your question, I have a full three weeks at my disposal. My generous and compassionate employer, the benevolent and wise Catherine. DeBourgh, allowed me a week of bereavement leave in addition to my two weeks of permitted vacation, so I thought I'd see a bit of the country as I pay my last respects. I only wish I had a traveling companion to make the drive more pleasurable." He looked suggestively at Elizabeth as he enunciated the last word. To her credit, she managed to suppress the urge to shudder.

Mentioning his boss seemed to open a floodgate for Bill Collins though, and he paid little attention to Elizabeth for the rest of the night as he told story after story about Ms. DeBourgh and her wonderful leadership at his law firm. He seemed to believe, whether correctly or not it was unclear, that he was being personally groomed for senior partnership. He repeated this belief ad nauseum so that by the end of the meal, both Kitty and Lydia seemed unusually excited about the prospect of doing homework in their room.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth's bed was more crowded than usual that night since she was sharing it with her eldest sister.

"Isn't it weird to think of him sleeping in your bed?" She asked Jane.

"I've gotten used to my room being the guest room by now. Uncle Ed and Aunt Maddie sleep there whenever they come to visit.

"I know, but they're family, Bill isn't, even if he seems to think so. Also he's weird and kind of creepy."

"I wouldn't say that." Jane defended their guest. "He's a little odd I guess, but who isn't. He's dealing with his mother's death, cut him some slack."

"He's dealing with it just fine, he hardly looked broken up. I bet he would be much sadder if that boss of his had died instead. He seems pretty crazy about her."

"Lizzy, that's not very nice." Jane admonished gently as she rolled to face her sister. "Everyone grieves differently. It is clear though that he idolizes his boss."

"It's not even that though, he can love her all he wants as long as he stops perving on me."

Elizabeth ignored the look on her sister's face. "You weren't here earlier when Mom was throwing me at him. I would just be all grossed out if he was in my bed. I keep thinking of what icky things he might be doing in there.

"Icky things? Lizzy, what are you, twelve? Anyway, I'll change the sheets again when he leaves, so I never have to think about it. You shouldn't either if you want to sleep well."

The girls giggled like teenagers, and the conversation turned to more palatable guys, one in particular; the boyfriend/boss who had been driving Jane to work all week. She admitted that although things were a little weird because of their office relationship, things were generally going well between them. Elizabeth could not help but be happy at the genuine smile that discussing her boyfriend brought to Jane's face. Even if there was confusion behind her eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Saturday 7 October 2000_

Late the next morning, Elizabeth was lying on her bed attempting to do homework when her mother burst through the door.

"Lizzy, you have to take him out!"

"What?" She asked, as she removed her headphones and sat up, blinking with confusion.

"Bill Collins, he likes you, you should go out with him today."

"Mom, you cannot be serious." Elizabeth arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "He was looking at me all last night and it was pretty disconcerting then, even with family around. What makes you think I'm going to go anywhere alone with him?"

"You don't have to go alone, maybe Jane and Charles would like to go with you." Mrs. Bennet soothed. "You just need to take him out."

"Of course, you're tired of him too." Elizabeth said as she began to understand the situation. "Fine, but I'll need money for entertainment." She certainly did not plan to spend her own money on the oaf.

"I'm sure he'll pay. He seems like quite a gentleman." After a moment of intense eye contact, Mrs. Bennet gave in. "I'll get my purse, meet me in the kitchen."

Elizabeth knew that Jane already had a date with Bingley, and she did not want to interrupt it, so she recruited her younger sisters as chaperons instead. She offered them the chance to get out of the house for an all expenses paid lunch and trip to the bowling alley without mentioning that their houseguest would be along for the ride. Only Kitty and Lydia took her up on it, but Elizabeth decided that two teenagers would provide a more than adequate buffer between herself and Collins. Accepting a handful of cash from her mother, she led the girls out to the garage, where they began their typical argument over the front seat.

"I'll make it easy for you guys today; neither of you sits up front."

"But we didn't even do anything." Came the inevitable whine.

"Not yet, but that's not why. Someone else is coming."

The girls grumbled, but climbed into the backseat of their father's sedan anyway. Lydia opened her mouth to protest when the door to the house opened again and the fourth member of their party approached the vehicle, but Elizabeth's glare managed to shut her up. Soon they were off to have lunch.

The car ride to the restaurant was so unusually silent that despite her displeasure at taking their guest along, Elizabeth appreciated his presence. The silence was abruptly broken by Lydia as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

"Oh my God, it's Wickham!"

As Elizabeth pulled into a parking spot, she glanced toward where her sister was pointing and saw the man in question heading toward the passenger side of a vehicle parked only a few yards away. Before she had time to turn off the engine, Lydia had gotten out of the car and was shrieking in delight.

Once they had all disembarked and proper introductions were made, it was decided that Wickham would join them for their afternoon of bowling. After checking that Elizabeth could drive him home, he dismissed his friend and headed back into the restaurant with the new arrivals,

Wickham ordered a cup of coffee to drink while the rest of the group had lunch. With his mouth less occupied, he found it easy to monopolize the conversation, something for which the Bennet girls were grateful. They did not want to hear any more stories about the "glorious Ms. DeBourgh" from Bill Collins.

-o-o-o-o-

An hour later found the quintet donning rented shoes and selecting bowling balls. They were just finishing entering their names into the scoring computer, when the lane next to them also became occupied.

"Fancy meeting you here!" a cheerful voice rang out.

Elizabeth's smile on hearing Bingley's voice and seeing Jane with him faded when she noticed the foursome that had accompanied them.

"Mom said you were going bowling Lizzy, so we thought it would be nice to meet you here."

A glance at Darcy suggested that he thought nothing of the kind, and the look of disgust on the faces of Bingley's sisters showed their agreement.

Hurst was already putting on his bowling shoes and rolled his eyes at his wife and sister in law's complaints about the very concept of rented shoes.

"Just put the damn things on, we're at a bowling alley. You'll look more stupid if you don't wear them."

Louisa acquiesced almost immediately, but Caroline fumed until she noticed Darcy complying, then hurried to join him on the bench.

Wickham had been quiet for a few moments as he took in the situation, but as Darcy stood up, so did he.

"Darcy, old buddy, old pal; long time no see."

"Not long enough." Was Darcy's curt response.

"See what I mean?" Wickham stage whispered to Elizabeth.

Darcy was surprised at the dismay he felt when she nodded in agreement and glared at him spitefully. He simply could not fathom why he cared so much what that uncouth (if enticing) girl thought of him. Realizing that his internal monologue was starting to sound like Caroline Bingley, Darcy shook his head as if to clear it, and tried to concentrate on selecting a bowling ball.

The afternoon of bowling was not fun for everyone involved. In fact, only Bingley and Jane seemed to really enjoy themselves and that was likely because they had forgotten that there was anybody else present.

Caroline and Louisa wondered what they had done to deserve such punishment as this poor person's pastime; Hurst was annoyed that he had to spend so much of his vacation out of the house; Darcy could not keep his thoughts from centering upon Wickham, whose mind was similarly occupied. Elizabeth would have been surprised to know how closely her younger sisters' reflections matched her own as she considered how cute Wickham was and how unfortunate it was that they had to spend any time at all with the jerk who had caused him so many problems.

The mostly unhappy crowd managed to get through two games before they collectively gave up trying to get along. The unspoken animosity had reached a high enough level that even the happy couple among them noticed there was something amiss. A general consensus to leave was reached, but before they left, Bingley announced the next chance they would all have to see each other again.

"I'm having a housewarming party next week on Saturday. It's totally informal, no gifts or anything, come whenever around lunchtime."

Elizabeth thanked him on behalf of her family and assured him that they would attend.

-o-o-o-o-

Somehow Wickham had managed to finagle the front seat away from Collins for the trip to his apartment complex. Nobody was more displeased about this development than Lydia, who was forced to spend several minutes sandwiched in the backseat between her sister Kitty and their greasy houseguest.

"Are you going to the party?" Elizabeth ventured to ask Wickham.

"I was invited wasn't I?"

"Of course, I just meant because Darcy will be there - "

"I don't care if he's the bouncer!" Wickham interrupted her abruptly. "If he doesn't want to see me that's his problem. His arrogant ass won't stop me from going to a party with so many pretty girls."

He turned around to smile at Lydia, an action which earned him batted eyelashes and pursed lips in return. Elizabeth was grateful to him for keeping her youngest sister's mind off the unfortunate seating arrangement.

Wickham turned his attention back up front as he continued. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything. I just meant that whatever went down between us; it's his problem, not mine, and I won't run away from him because I didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course not, it's not your fault he's a jerk." Elizabeth's hands gripped the steering wheel a bit harder as she thought of Darcy. "We'll just have to have fun in spite of him won't we?"

"Absolutely." She could hear the smile in his voice and was unable to stop herself from glancing at him long enough to appreciate what it did for his whole face.

It was much too short a journey to Wickham's apartment building for Elizabeth's taste. As she pulled out of the parking lot with a new front seat passenger, she resigned herself to hearing all about the lawyers at DeBourgh and associates and how, even though they were all outstanding in their field, they paled in comparison to their wonderful boss.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Saturday 14 October 2000_

One week later found the entire Bennet family, including their incessant guest, walking down the block together toward the housewarming party. Mrs. Bennet was all smiles as her husband clutched a heavy bowl of potato salad. Several people were arriving at the same time, and they all found themselves ushered through a gate directly into the backyard.

Bingley smiled broadly and thanked Mrs. Bennet for her thoughtfulness as he placed the potato salad among the other food, all clearly provided by the same catering company. The family quickly split up, as Jane's hand was claimed by her boyfriend, Elizabeth went to talk to Charlotte, and Mr. Bennet found a nice, shady tree with a chair beneath it.

It was not long before Bill made his way over to Elizabeth and managed to insinuate himself into the conversation that she was attempting to have with her friend. She could tell that he was trying to flirt with the both of them, but it was off-putting the way that he was constantly talking up his law firm and his role within it. Besides, she had already heard most of his stories during the long week he had spent with her family. She could not wait for him to leave the next day, it would be the highlight of the entire month for her, she was sure of it.

When she observed that Bill was safely in conversation with Charlotte, Elizabeth decided to wander off. She felt a bit guilty sacrificing her friend on the altar of boredom, but she just could not handle the drivel he was spouting any longer. With an apologetic glance to her guest's new companion, she moved toward her youngest sister, who was flirting with a much older man. Although it was not an unusual sight, Elizabeth felt that she should at discourage the behavior as much as possible.

When she got closer to the pair, Elizabeth recognized the man as Wickham's friend from the first night they met. She wondered for a moment at how he knew Bingley, but realized that she had never met half the people at this party. Bingley was an incredibly outgoing man and made friends easily. She smiled, he reminded her a little of Wickham in that way. It was surprising that she and Jane would be attracted to similar men given that they were such different people but, she decided, there was really no accounting for taste.

Lydia noticed her sister's approach and flounced toward her in a bit of a huff. "Wickham's not coming!" she whined.

"Why not?" Elizabeth did her best to keep the disappointment from her voice. She did not want to be anything like her youngest sister.

"He had a meeting in Detroit." It was Denny who answered her. "I don't know what about exactly, but he said something about a prospective business thing." By this point Lydia had lost interest, having already heard this much explanation, and so made her way toward her friend Maria Lucas without so much as a farewell to her former companion. "I'm not sure he really needed to go today though, I mean who does business on a Saturday? I think there was somebody here he needed to avoid."

Elizabeth did not have to follow Denny's eye line to see who was on the other end of it. She did so anyway however, and noticed that gentleman staring at her. Their eye contact was fleeting; he turned his entire body away when she looked at him.

Deciding she needed to talk to somebody else in order to get her mind off how irritated she was with Darcy, Elizabeth was pleased to note that Charlotte had escaped Bill's clutches and headed over to talk to her once more.

-o-o-o-o-

Later that afternoon, Elizabeth noticed her favorite sister sitting on the swing hanging from a tree branch. Jane was snuggled up against Bingley with a degree of closeness that was hardly necessary given the width of the swing seat. She smiled at the adorable picture they made together, and was distracted enough that she did not notice the large man standing just to her left until she had walked into his chest as she was turning back toward the group.

Elizabeth felt herself fall backwards and be caught by the very man who had caused her to stumble. For an uncomfortable moment, she found herself trapped between a broad chest and powerful arms before he released her gently, keeping one hand on her shoulder as if to steady her.

"Excuse me." Was all he said as he nodded his head abruptly.

"No, it's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going. Elizabeth shrugged his hand off her shoulder and her tone turned accusatory. "Didn't you see me, though?"

"I admit that I was not doing a good job of looking where I was going either. Besides," he added with the smallest of smiles on his face, "you are not quite at my eye level."

From everything he had observed in the young woman before him, which was more than he would care to admit, Darcy knew that she had a sense of humor. He was therefore taken slightly aback when she responded acerbically. "I didn't realize that being short robbed one of the basic right to walk without being trampled."

Deciding that she was probably teasing him, Darcy decided to continue the conversation as best he could. "May I get you a drink?"

"Really?" Elizabeth was incredulous at first, but decided that maybe he was just trying to be a host, since Bingley was obviously to preoccupied to do so. "I guess I'll have whatever's in that punchbowl over there. It looks tasty and pinkish."

"Of course, I will be right back."

Elizabeth stood awkwardly for the next ninety seconds as she waited for a drink she did not really want to be brought by a man she did not really like. She looked around again for Wickham, although she knew that she should no longer expect him, and became even more annoyed with the man she held responsible for his absence.

When Darcy returned with her beverage, she thanked him politely and was about to walk away, when he struck up a conversation

"So, how do you like the University of Michigan?"

"It's a very good school. I know it's not Ivy League or anything, but I'm getting a good education." Elizabeth immediately turned defensive. She was irritated with herself for letting Darcy get to her and took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer tone. "I've lived in Ann Arbor all my life, and I guess I never really thought about going anyplace else, but I'm thinking about doing an MBA when I'm finished here, maybe even somewhere out of state."

"Sometimes it's nice to get away for a bit, to experience something new. Also, there is no better reason to do so than for your education; it is, after all, the key to your future."

"Mmhmm" she said noncommittally. This was the second time, to her hearing, that he had touted the benefits of higher education after he had denied it to an old friend. Elizabeth did not trust herself not to yell at him for his hypocrisy, so she bit her lip and refrained from saying anything.

Darcy found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to drive the conversation, and so began benignly "Do you and your sisters go bowling often?"

"Not really, but we have an old family friend staying with us now, you met Bill Collins, and we needed something to do. Also, we ran into a new friend on our way there and it seemed like a fun group activity. She had been trying to avoid the topic of Wickham, but now she presented a mention of him as a challenge, to see how Darcy would respond.

"Yes, I noticed George Wickham accompanied you. He is the kind of man who makes friends easily; keeping them is a bit more of a challenge for him."

"He managed to lose you, that's for sure. He's not likely to forget it either given the way you left him."

Darcy opened his mouth to respond, then closed it when he realized that he had no idea what to say. He was saved from having to come up with something by his very first acquaintance in town.

"How are you folks doing?" William Lucas asked jovially.

"Well, thank you Dr. Lucas, how are you this afternoon?" As annoyed as she felt with her conversational partner at the moment, Elizabeth was pleased to have this distraction.

"I am a bit tired if you truly wish to know, midterm season is barely upon us and I already have a stack of papers to grade."

"My father has one too, every semester from midterms through finals he spends most of his time in his study grading papers." She lowered her voice conspiratorially and continued "Sometimes I think his workload's not so bad, he just wants to avoid my mother."

"We all need some alone time. How are your exams going, are you still finding time to read?"

"Of course, I would sacrifice sleep before reading time. I just finished _Interpreter of Maladies_*, thank you for the recommendation. It was excellent."

"I enjoyed that book as well." An unexpected deep voice entered the conversation. Elizabeth had almost managed to forget about Darcy, but there he was, worming his way into a perfectly pleasant talk she was having with her neighbor. She might have tried to ignore him but for Professor Lucas's encouragement.

"What did you think of the book, young man?"

To her chagrin, Darcy answered his question and she was stuck in an interminably long conversation about literature. It was the sort of thing that she would normally enjoy if she did not have such an unpleasant companion.

Despite her displeasure with the situation, Elizabeth could not help but interject her opinion as the discussion moved quickly from one book to the next. She was surprised to discover how much her literary tastes coincided with the irritating newcomer. She even had to remind herself a few times of how much she disliked him when he said something particularly interesting or intelligent.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually the sky began to dim and all the guests, including the Bennet party, trickled home. Elizabeth and her youngest sisters were all disappointed at Wickham's absence, but hopeful about seeing him again. After all, Darcy could not always be around to prevent their fun.

Elizabeth had even had a bit of a laugh when Bill Collins had realized that Darcy was the nephew of the exalted Catherine DeBourgh, senior partner of DeBourgh and associates. She had been spared having to converse with her two least favorite people at the party while Darcy had been forced to put up with insensible flattery and pointless name dropping. The spectacle even served to perk up her spirits for a bit.

Jane said an extended goodbye to Bingley and looked as though she was reluctant to leave at all. From the look on her sister's face, Elizabeth surmised that she would have stayed behind if their parents had not been there to see it. As it was, the Bennets were the last to leave and it was obvious to anyone who cared to observe it, which excluded Jane, that Caroline Bingley and Darcy were overjoyed to see them go.

As they walked the short distance home, Elizabeth found herself constantly changing her stride and weaving around her family in an attempt to avoid Bill. Unfortunately he managed to keep pace with her at a slight cost to the feet of those around him, and both Mary and Kitty were nursing stomped toes by the time they got back to their house.

_-x-x-x-x-_

_*Interpreter of Maladies_ is a book of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was published in 1999 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000.


	16. Chapter 16

_Note: Okay, there is a part of me that wants to withhold chapters until I am given reviews (so that I know at least some people are reading this) and another part of me that wants to hold onto the story until I have finished it so that there will be no lull later. I am ignoring both of these parts to post another already-written chapter because I do like to keep things moving. I would like to take this opportunity, though, to humbly request reviews, as they do encourage me to continue writing/posting. Of course, I also must thank those readers who have been so kind as to leave me reviews already, especially those of you who have reviewed multiple chapters and with consistency, I really appreciate it and it does encourage me to keep with this whole fanfic thing, the writing of which is still relatively new to me. Okay, not the writing, I started it years ago, but the posting of which at the very least :)_

_In conclusion: Thanks for reading, please review!_

**Chapter 16**

_Sunday 15 October 2000_

The next morning, Elizabeth was eating breakfast alone when she was approached by Bill Collins.

"Ah, Lizzy, just the woman I was looking for."

She fought not to roll her eyes and nearly bit her tongue in an attempt not to ask when he was leaving. "What can I do for you, Bill?"

"As you know, I have the next few weeks to honor my mother's final wishes thanks to the ever generous Catherine DeBourgh, senior partner of DeBourgh and associates." At this, Elizabeth did roll her eyes, Bill was not looking at her face anyway, so she did not see the harm. "I will be taking a bit of a road trip around the country, and I have chosen you to accompany me." Here he beamed as if doing her a great favor. "Ms. DeBourgh suggested that I should not make the entire trip alone, and when I told her about my old family friends in Ann Arbor, she told me that I should spend enough time here to decide which of you would be most compatible with me, then take her, by which I mean you, along on my journey. Well, it will be our journey now, I suppose. Anyway, you should pack your things so that we can get on the road by noon. One suitcase is all you'll need and it should fit in my car easily." He looked at her expectantly.

It took Elizabeth a moment to figure out what to say to such a ridiculous man. Eventually, after an awkward silence, she decided to keep it simple. "I can't go with you."

"Of course you can, I already asked your mother's permission, which she granted."

"My mother's permission is hardly the issue." She swallowed her huff of annoyance and forced herself to continue as politely as possible. "I appreciate the invitation, but I have classes to attend as well as midterms that I absolutely cannot miss."

"I'm sure you can make up the work, Fran assured me that it would be no problem for someone as intelligent as you are." Even his compliment sounded patronizing.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Professors don't just let you reschedule midterms because of emergency road trips."

They went back and forth in this manner for a few more minutes before Elizabeth lost her patience and stormed off, leaving behind a confused and insulted houseguest.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth was sitting on the tire swing in the back yard when her mother approached her.

"What is wrong with you young lady?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with him – assuming I could just run off and skip school for the pleasure of his company." The sarcastic tone of Elizabeth's voice as she spoke suggested that she found the company of Bill Collins to be anything but pleasurable. "Why do you want me to go so badly anyway?"

"With an attitude like yours, it's no wonder you're single. Do you really want to stay that way for the rest of your life?" Mrs. Bennet's voice was growing louder and higher in pitch. It was all Elizabeth could do not to flinch at the sound.

"The rest of my life! I'm barely twenty-one years old and still in school. I have plenty of time to find a guy and get married, if I even want to do so."

"That's the problem with your whole generation, thinking you don't need to get married, having babies in your forties. I want to be a grandmother soon, not before I'm too old to play with your children."

Elizabeth knew it would be a fruitless endeavor to point out that her own peers could not possibly be having children so late because they were still young and it was her mother's own generation that was currently in the forty to fifty age bracket. Instead she heaved a sigh and asked what good a road trip with an idiot would do for her marital future.

"You're so judgmental. Maybe he's the one, and even if he isn't, at least it's a start. You haven't dated anyone since Carl and he dumped you in January."

"He didn't dump me, I dumped him; anyway, that's none of your business. Maybe I just want to finish my education before I end up knocked up and married to somebody I can't stand!" Elizabeth found herself at the end of her rope. The volume of her voice matched her mother's and she got off the tire swing in order to look her mother in the eye as she yelled.

Mrs. Bennet's hand was raised as if to slap her daughter before she got hold of her faculties. She lowered her arm, as if with great difficulty, and glared into Elizabeth's eyes as she delivered her threat: "If you don't at least give Bill a chance, I'll never speak to you again."

"Do you promise?" was all Elizabeth managed to hiss before she stormed into the house and toward her father's study.

Mrs. Bennet was on her daughter's heels as barged into her husband's sanctuary. They spoke almost simultaneously.

"Mom wants me to skip school for a stupid road trip because she would rather see me squeeze out a bevy of babies than have a real career."

"Your daughter was horribly rude to our guest and refuses to even consider the man just because I want her to."

Dr. Bennet had been having a perfectly pleasant time reading a novel until he had been disturbed by the shouting going on outside his door and was loathe to ask the two women to repeat themselves, but knew he would have no peace until he had given his opinion. When they each stated their case, he looked incredulously from his wife to his daughter as if he must have misunderstood the problem.

"Elizabeth," he began in a reprimanding tone, which pleased his wife, "you cannot possibly be considering accompanying Bill Collins on this journey." Mrs. Bennet's smile fell as he continued. "You have mid-terms coming up, and he would drive you crazy."

"What's wrong with you?" His wife shrieked in anger. "Do you want to be a grandfather in your eighties? She's hopeless with men!"

"I would be perfectly happy not being a grandfather at all." Dr. Bennet mumbled, then spoke up. "I think that our daughter's happiness is more important than your maternal ambitions." Now, if you could just extend that 'never speak again' promise to me, I shall return to my reading, and we can all go happily about our day."

He ignored the glare Mrs. Bennet shot him as she stormed out of the room. Elizabeth sat down in the extra chair silently and there was companionable silence for a moment before his angry wife stormed back in. Her ire was all for their second eldest daughter however, and she did not spare her husband a glance.

"See what you've done, now he left!"

"Good, that was the idea, he needs to stick to his plan, he has miles to go before he sleeps." She had clearly perked up enough to make a literary reference, but only her father's slight smile acknowledged her cleverness.

"He's an educated, successful man with a steady job, his own home, and a retirement plan! Men like him are hard to come by."

"Thank God." Elizabeth muttered under her breath. Fortunately, her mother was too upset to notice.

"You'll be sorry someday Lizzy, when you can't find a decent guy, you'll wonder where they all went and I'll tell you, they're gone because you sent them away!"

Deciding that she could no longer stand the ranting, Elizabeth decided to go for a walk. Unfortunately, due to the size of the room she had to physically push past her mother to exit, which only set off another tirade about her rudeness.

-o-o-o-o-

Half an hour later, Elizabeth found herself on the Lucas's doorstep asking for Charlotte. She needed to talk to her friend about the ridiculous events of the morning at her house.

She could not contain her shock when Charlotte's sister Maria informed her that Charlotte would be out of town for a few weeks, she had gone on a road trip with Bill Collins.

Elizabeth tried to keep the information from her mother. When Charlotte called that evening to let her know the news, she took the cordless phone to her room in an effort not to be overheard.

Charlotte felt that as she had no job at the moment, a cross-country road trip was exactly what she needed. Also, as a lawyer with a prominent firm, she felt that Bill could give her career guidance, something that Elizabeth doubted. She did not think that Charlotte wanted to end up a brown-nosing flunky like he was, but did her best to keep such comments to herself.

"Besides," Charlotte said before they bid each other goodnight, "I'm not sleeping with him or anything, it's just a platonic thing; fun and educational for the both of us."

Elizabeth extracted a promise for periodic phone calls before she hung up, then went downstairs where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table having hot chocolate with Sharon Lucas, who was telling Mrs. Bennet all about her daughter's decision to accompany the Bennets' former houseguest cross-country.

Elizabeth was grateful that, at least for that night, Mrs. Bennet kept her threat/promise of not talking to her at all.


	17. Chapter 17

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate it. Unless you review anonymously, I will reply to you although, for some reason, my outbox does not seem to remember everything I sent, depending on which link I use to respond; weird, I hope you all have been getting my replies even though there is no record of them. Anyway, Darcy is not back in the picture yet, but it won't be too much longer now._

**Chapter 17**

_Monday 16 October 2000 – Tuesday 17 October 2000_

The next evening when Elizabeth got back from meeting with her study group, she found most of her family eating dinner with the notable absence of her eldest sister. As she neared her room to put away her books, she heard a soft sobbing coming from the room next door. Elizabeth approached her sister's room and noted that the door was closed, an unusual circumstance itself. She knocked gently and waited for a reply. Hearing none, she knocked slightly more forcefully, to which Jane responded with an unintelligible mumble that could either have been "come in" or "go away". Elizabeth decided to assume it was the former and gingerly opened the door. She closed it quietly behind herself before approaching the bed and joining its weeping occupant.

"What's the matter Janey?" Elizabeth's arms wound around her sister's shoulders and held her close. If Jane was crying, something really had to be wrong. The eldest Bennet sister had a calmness to her that was rarely ruffled. Elizabeth thought that she could probably count on one hand the number of times she had seen her sister cry. Although Jane was always willing to help other people when they were sad, she rarely admitted to the emotion herself. There was a calmness to her that even her closest sister had almost never seen ruffled. Elizabeth hardly knew what to do in this particular situation and decided to just lie there stroking the blond hair at her shoulder until its owner was ready to talk. This went on for several minutes before the head pulled back and red-rimmed eyes looked Elizabeth in the face.

"I'm sorry Lizzy."

"No, don't you dare be sorry. Everyone needs a good cry once in a while, and you were overdue. Remember how much I cried after I found out Carl was cheating, who held me then?"

Jane just shook her head. "But it's so unlike me. I should be able to handle it, we haven't even been dating that long."

"Oh my God! Did Charles cheat on you?" Elizabeth could hardly believe it, he seemed like such a great guy.

"No, of course not, he wouldn't do that." Jane was quick to reassure her sister. "Anyway, he can date anyone he wants now. We broke up."

"Why?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"I don't know, everything was so great on Saturday, and we spent most of Sunday together, then we went out for lunch today, and he broke up with me. At least it won't be awkward at work or anything."

"He fired you too?" Now Elizabeth was incensed, that was definitely not ethical.

"No, I'll still be the office manager here, but he's going back to the headquarters in Chicago. Caroline thinks it'll be easier this way. She says he's not likely to come back here again, she's going to be in charge of this branch from now on, but she's going to run it mostly from the Chicago office."

Elizabeth did not know what she could say that might help placate her sister. It seemed like a terrible situation and she had no response. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "Caroline was there?" That definitely seemed odd.

"Not at lunch when we broke up, that was just me and Charles. After he dropped me back at the office though, Caroline came in to talk to me. She's the one who told me about him leaving. She said he decided it was easier if he didn't have to see me anymore. I guess I should be grateful that he had the guts to break up with me face to face and not send his sister to do that too!" Jane's voice held a trace of bitterness that her sister had never before heard.

"It's alright honey, the jerk doesn't deserve you anyway." Elizabeth murmured as she gently rubbed Jane's back. It seemed like a default comment given the situation, but it only made Jane cry harder.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth only went back to her room that night to change into her pajamas. She spent the night with her broken-hearted sister listening to her reminisce about her all to brief romance with Charles Bingley.

After the rest of their family had retired for the night, Elizabeth snuck downstairs to pilfer leftovers for both of them. She had no desire to explain to anyone the reason that Jane had missed dinner. They would all find out soon enough, and she wished to spare her poor sister as much discomfort as possible, but she suspected it would be just as bad tomorrow or whenever they found out.

When she returned to Jane's room with sustenance, the two young women proceeded to stay up late talking in a way they had not for years.

Elizabeth discovered that SB Tech had more local employees than she had realized. The Bingleys must have been busy hiring people for the past few weeks. Jane would have plenty to do even without the presence of the executive she had been assisting. Eventually, the discussion moved on to happier topics than Jane's uncertain career. Elizabeth blushed as she denied any attraction to Wickham, but was secretly pleased that her sister was able to tease her about anything given her current state of mind.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, Elizabeth returned home from class hours before Jane was due to leave work. She knew that she had a difficult task before her, but she could not shirk it. She had offered to inform their mother about Jane's breakup to spare her sister the discomfort of doing it herself. Jane had looked relieved even as she insisted such an action was unnecessary. Elizabeth's hope was that Mrs. Bennet would have time to calm down before seeing Jane and upset her less, she knew that not upsetting her sister at all was not within the realm of possibility given their mother's propensity for histrionics.

She found her mother in the family room watching _General Hospital_ and knitting. The sight made her smile, it was the one thing they had in common. Although Elizabeth tended to prefer sitcoms to soap operas, she had learned to knit from her mother and liked to keep her hands busy while watching television. Thinking of how they had bonded years ago over needles and yarn made her feel closer to her mother, and somehow made it easier to approach her.

As content as she was to be in her mother's presence for the moment, Elizabeth still knew enough to wait for a commercial before addressing her. When she heard the announcement that the show would be "right back", she knew it was as good a time as any and launched right into what she had to say.

"Jane and Charles broke up."

That was enough for Mrs. Bennet to reach for the remote control and fumble for the mute button. "What did you say?"

"Jane told me last night, Charles broke up with her. Please don't say any more about it than you have to, she's pretty upset."

"My God Lizzy, you act like I'm an idiot! I'm a grown woman and perfectly capable of keeping my mouth shut when my daughter needs me."

Elizabeth desperately wanted to ask her mother when she had ever managed to keep her mouth shut about anything, but thought better of it for Jane's sake if nothing else. She kept her comments to a brief "Thanks Mom" and made her escape while she still could. All the Bennet sisters had learned the hard way that staying too long in a room with their mother and her soap operas could mean too much information if they let her get started about the convoluted plots.

-o-o-o-o-

Mrs. Bennet was not quite as good as her word, but she seemed to be making a genuine effort not to upset her eldest daughter.

By the time Jane got home from work, she had begun preparing the young woman's favorite meal, including dessert. Elizabeth sighed at her mother's attempt at an innocuous gesture. The special efforts to which she had gone to prepare mashed potatoes with garlic, chicken parmesan, and apple crisp belied the front of normalcy she was ineffectually projecting.

Jane was forced to tell, in as little detail as she could manage, the story of her afternoon the previous day. The reactions of her family managed not to upset her too greatly. Her father expressed his condolences succinctly; Mary pointed out that this sort of thing was wont to happen in a patriarchal society wherein men are given all of the power and none of the accountability; her mother was a bit on the dramatic side in her descriptions of how cruel he must be to do such a thing, but it was far better than the rant for which Jane had steeled herself, and Kitty and Lydia barely managed to respond at all between whispers to each other that Jane suspected had little to do with her.

All in all, the family dinner that night was not nearly as bad as Jane had feared. She did find herself defending her ex-boyfriend more than she would have liked when various family members called him names, but it was nothing she felt she could not handle.

After Mrs. Bennet had referred to him as thoughtless, and Jane had countered that he must have only done what he thought best for the company in relocating, Elizabeth felt the need to interject.

"Even if that is the case, he shouldn't have done it that way."

"Lizzy, we don't know what's going on at the Chicago branch, maybe they needed him and he felt he couldn't be involved in a long distance relationship."

"Jane, you're just too nice. Sometimes people do sucky things and it's not in anyone's best interests but their own. Anyway, even if it was for the good of the company, he still should have told you himself; letting his bitchy sister do it was totally ball-less of him." Before Jane could leap to Bingley's defense again, Elizabeth had left the table and was on her way upstairs. The sisters did not speak for the rest of the night, but by the next day they were the best of friends once more.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_Thursday 23 November 2000 – Tuesday 28 November 2000_

Jane and Elizabeth lay together in the brunette's double bed, this time more pleasant company having forced Jane from her own bedroom. Their family from Chicago had come to visit for Thanksgiving. It was always exciting to see their cousins; the two little boys who had grown even since they saw them the previous month, and both their aunt and uncle were popular with the Bennet girls, they were much younger than their parents and more approachable adults.

"I think I'm going to go with them tomorrow." Jane's voice broke through the silent night.

"What?" Her sister sat up in surprise.

"Aunt Maddie asked me to visit. They have to go back tomorrow, I guess there is some big crisis at the factory and since everybody else is off this weekend, Uncle Ed has to take care of it personally."

"Yeah, I remember him saying something about that at dinner tonight, but I didn't hear anything about you leaving."

"It's just for the weekend, maybe a couple of days next week. I just think I need to get out of town for a little while."

"That's not a bad idea. Is it just me, or is Mom extra annoying these days?" Elizabeth was not imagining things, her mother had been especially harsh to her ever since she had turned down the trip with Bill Collins. Charlotte had returned to town resplendent in her newly formed romantic relationship, something she had sworn that she was not looking for when she had called Elizabeth from the road to say goodbye.

"It's not that really, it's just, never mind."

"Jane, what is it? You know you can tell me anything."

"I thought maybe I could see Charles while I'm there."

"Wow. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"I just want to talk to him, see how he's doing, you know?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth did know. Jane was always genuinely concerned about the people that she cared about, even when they gave her no reason to worry, or to care in this case, Elizabeth reflected uncharitably. She knew that there was nothing she could do to dissuade her compassionate sister from reaching out to the man who had abandoned her.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Jane climbed into her uncle's SUV, sandwiching herself between two booster seats. Her cousins were delighted to have company for their long drive. After Elizabeth, Jane told the best stories.

Elizabeth did not hear from her sister, other than the obligatory call to inform her family that she had reached Chicago safely, until Monday afternoon.

"I talked to Caroline." Jane told her over the phone. "She's going to have Charles call me."

"That's great, Jane." Elizabeth mustered all the excitement that she could, given that she assumed Caroline was untrustworthy to convey such a message.

"I called the office number she gave me, and she met me for lunch. Charles was busy today, but Caroline said she gave him Uncle Ed's number for me."

"How much longer are you staying?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow evening, but Caroline knows that, she said Charles is totally free for lunch tomorrow, so I'll see him then."

"I hope so." Elizabeth did not fully trust Charles not to hurt her sister again, not after what had happened the previous month, and she trusted his sister even less. There was something disingenuous about that woman.

The sisters talked a little longer, then hung up with the promise to see each other in twenty-four hours when Elizabeth would pick her sister up from the train station.

-o-o-o-o-

On Tuesday night, Elizabeth sat with Charlotte Lucas in her mother's minivan in the parking lot of the Ann Arbor train station. Charlotte had volunteered to join her, knowing that the train was often late and she would have ample time to talk to her friend while they waited for Jane.

"Eliza -" Charlotte began, using a nickname that she had mostly abandoned years ago. "Lizzy," she corrected, remembering her friend's recently acquired distaste for the sobriquet, "I have something to tell you." She paused for a deep breath while Elizabeth looked at her expectantly. "I'm moving to New York."

"What? Why? Please tell me this has nothing to do with Bill Collins!"

"I can't. I know you don't like him, but I do. I had a great time with him last month when we drove cross country. You know I've been sort of seeing him ever since. Well, not seeing him exactly, but doing the long-distance thing. Anyway, I really like him."

"You like him enough to give up everything here and move in with him? Shouldn't that sort of thing wait till you're in love with someone?"

"I could fall in love with him, I don't know, anyway, it's not like I have much to give up."

"But you passed the Bar in Michigan; you'll have to start all over in New York." Elizabeth tried to keep her voice as even and reasoned as possible, but her next thought came out with a hitch. "Plus I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too Lizzy, but I'm going to give this relationship a shot, plus I already got a job there." At her friend's raised eyebrow she continued. "I sent my transcripts to Bill and he got me a phone interview with Ms. DeBourgh, she's willing to give me a provisional position at the firm until I pass the New York Bar Exam, then I'll be a real lawyer there.

"Wow, you've really thought this through."

"I have. It's what's best for both my relationship and my career. I hope you can be happy for me."

"I'll do my best."

"I'll be moving near the end of December. Since you'll be on break, I was hoping you could drive to New York with me and my stuff."

Although there were few people Elizabeth wished to see less than Bill Collins, she knew that she could not deny her friend's heartfelt request. "Of course, as long as my parents don't need me here."

They spent the remainder of their time waiting in what Elizabeth liked to think of as 'Bill-free' conversation which, although she could not admit it to Charlotte, was her preferred kind.

-o-o-o-o-

When Jane emerged from the train station, suitcase in hand, she did not look happy. It did not take much cajoling to ascertain that despite assurances from Caroline that she had delivered the message, Bingley had failed to call Jane that day. The worst part, as Elizabeth saw it, was Jane's refusal to admit that she was upset about it, despite the sadness in her eyes.

"I know he's a busy man. He has a whole company to run, plus this must be a really hard time for him, his dad died about this time last year."

"I'm sure he would have done his best to call you," Elizabeth began, she was about to accuse Caroline Bingley of duplicitousness, but thought better of it when she remembered that Jane believed the woman to be her friend. "He must have not had the time." She finished lamely instead.

"Maybe it's the inclination he didn't have." Jane suggested quietly. "He did break up with me, I don't know why I thought he might call me back." Her voice got louder as she became more assured of her folly. "I shouldn't want him back anyway, I mean I don't want him back. Why would I want somebody who doesn't want me?" Despite her newly found bravado, the person closest to her, Elizabeth, could tell how much she was hurting and genuinely wanted Bingley back in her life as something more than just a long-distance boss.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_Tuesday 26 December 2000 - Wednesday 27 December 2000  
_

Early in the morning on the day after Christmas, Elizabeth and Charlotte took off in Sharon Lucas's minivan which was packed with everything Charlotte thought she would need for her new life in New York. Although the trip could probably be done in under twelve hours, they decided to take an extra day and sightsee at Niagara falls, a place neither young woman had ever been.

They spent the night in Canada, and agreed that perhaps it was too cold a time of year to visit their chosen attraction. Although she enjoyed the view, Elizabeth knew that she would have to return sometime warmer to take full advantage of the spectacle, although winter added a beauty to the experience she had not expected.

Elizabeth planned to drive home via an alternate route in order to see other tourist attractions such as the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. She only wished that she would not be alone for all those hours in the car. She briefly regretted that the Lucases had not agreed to allow Maria to accompany them to New York. Even an insipid friend of Lydia's would be welcome company during such a long drive.

-o-o-o-o-

They arrived at Bill Collins's co-op in plenty of time for dinner on Wednesday. They found a parking garage not too far away and although the price seemed exorbitant, the women knew it was the way of the big city. Charlotte pointed out that it was certainly no worse than paying for a hotel, an expense they would be forgoing, so the women parked and carried one suitcase each down the block to the provided address.

When they were buzzed into the building, Elizabeth reflected that at least about one thing, her mother was right. He owned his own two bedroom apartment in New York City, and although the place was nothing special, it was perfectly nice and a quite a respectable thing at his age. She did her best not to express her distaste when Charlotte kissed him enthusiastically and gave Bill her suitcase to take to the master bedroom. Elizabeth was left alone to carry her own bag and find the guest room, which was not a difficult feat, although it was a clean and comfortable looking place, it was not particularly large, and she could guess where to go by process of elimination.

A few minutes later, Bill was knocking on her door telling her that she needed to get dressed for dinner. Elizabeth opened the door and looked at him curiously, were they going somewhere that would kick her out for wearing jeans?

"Charlotte and I are pretty tired from our trip, I thought maybe we could order some of that famous New York pizza for dinner tonight."

"Oh no, Ms. DeBourgh is most impatient to meet the newest addition to her firm," Charlotte walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder, "and to my life." He smiled and placed his hand over hers.

It was all Elizabeth could do not to raise her eyebrows in disbelief at the display of affection before her. Although nothing remotely lewd was taking place, the participation of a man she found repugnant made it seem that way to her.

"I only brought one really fancy thing, for the New Year's Eve party you told us about. I'm not sure what sort of clothes she expects." Elizabeth noticed that Bill was wearing a suit and Charlotte had already changed into a nice skirt and blouse set.

"I'm sure Ms. DeBourgh won't mind if you are a bit more casual than she is used to. Just put on the second nicest thing you brought. She knows you come from a less sophisticated sort of place and is a very understanding woman about that kind of thing."

"I'm sure she is." Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. "Just give me a minute." She managed not to slam the door, but did lean against it for a moment taking deep breaths to calm herself once it was closed.

"Less sophisticated, my ass." She mumbled to herself as she dug through her suitcase. She was pleased when she managed to find a dressy pair of gray slacks and a nice fair isle sweater her mother had made for her two Christmases ago. Although she had brought a pair of black heels for the New Year's party she planned to attend, Elizabeth defiantly put back on her clunky Doc Martens; she was not about to let some stuffy old woman or brown-nosing little weasel dictate how comfortable her feet could be, especially if they were going to walk there. She knew that New Yorkers had to do a lot of walking and she intended to keep pace.

-o-o-o-o-

It turned out that comfortable shoes were an unnecessary precaution. The DeBourgh townhouse was far enough away that it required a taxi ride. Charlotte had suggested they drive themselves, but Bill pointed out that it would be more trouble to find a parking space. Elizabeth was impressed with his forethought, but could not bring herself to compliment him aloud, so they rode most of the way in silence.

They were met at the front door of an impressive townhouse by a butler wearing tails. As he ushered them into the foyer, a uniformed maid appeared to take their coats. The newcomers could not help but be struck by the opulence and formality of the place, especially when a different maid came to them to get drink orders before they were shown into the parlor.

Elizabeth took a seat at the far end of a couch, which she almost thought was unoccupied, so still was the woman sitting at the other end. When she looked up, she noticed an older woman seated in a majestic but uncomfortable looking chair a few feet away. The woman was wearing a business suit and her hair was pulled up into a severe bun. She did not move to acknowledge their presence until Bill Collins stood before her and formally introduced his companions.

The stiffly regal woman, to nobody's surprise, was Catherine DeBourgh, senior partner of DeBourgh & Associates. The younger woman on the couch turned out to be Anne, although it took some time for Elizabeth to ascertain her first name given that Bill would only call her "Miss DeBourgh".

Soon after the introductions, a third maid appeared to announce dinner, and the party removed to the dining room. As they stood, Elizabeth noticed Ms. DeBourgh's gaze flicker briefly to her footwear and the disapproving look that adorned her face briefly after. Although the censure was nonverbal, it instilled a sense of rebellion in the young woman that she knew she had to squelch, if only for Charlotte's sake. She could not, however, dismiss the thought that when Ms. DeBourgh looked at her in that judgmental manner, the set of her brow was disturbingly like that of her arrogant nephew. Elizabeth almost started at this realization, she had nearly forgotten that the two were related. It would certainly not slip her mind again.

During dinner, nobody was surprised that their hostess preferred to lead the conversation. She asked question after question of both Charlotte and Elizabeth. It was evident that she approved more of the former, and Elizabeth was pleased for her friend's sake.

Ms. DeBourgh made it clear that she valued education more than almost anything else. She thought it unconscionable for any young person to not attend at least a four year college. "My Anne plans to pursue a graduate degree once she has spent a few years in the real world." She announced, looking proudly down the table at the subject of her statement.

"I'm hardly in the real world now, Aunt Catherine." The woman's address surprised Elizabeth, she had assumed the two to be mother and daughter given their apparent living situation and the possessive way Ms. DeBourgh had referred to her. The older woman clearly did not like what she was hearing.

"What do you mean, Anne, 'not in the real world'? You have a full time job and a myriad of responsibilities as director of the Fitzwilliam Foundation."

"Yes, but you gave me the job. I have a degree in English and run a charity foundation that you - "

"Anne, we have guests." Her aunt admonished.

"Sorry" was the last word they heard from Anne for the rest of the evening.

Having silenced her niece, Ms. DeBourgh turned her focus back to the newcomers. She had focused mostly on Charlotte earlier, and now she seemed to want to know all about her friend.

When Elizabeth explained her family, Ms. DeBourgh's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Five daughters, that must be quite the financial burden on your parents. School can be quite expensive these days." Her voice suggested a negative opinion about the size of the Bennet family, but Elizabeth thought she saw something in the old woman's eyes that might have been regret or even envy.

"I know it hasn't been easy, but we manage. Mary and I go to the University of Michigan where our dad teaches, I got a partial scholarship, and my oldest sister Jane graduated from Eastern Michigan, which is a little cheaper. I have two sisters still in high school, but I don't know if either of them is the college type."

"Not go to college? How could your parents allow that?"

Suddenly Elizabeth felt very protective of her family, even the ones she found ridiculous. "My mom went to community college, Kitty will probably do at least that. She'd like to be a nurse, but I think she has to do a little better in school first to get into a program. Lydia wants to be a hairdresser, but she's only fifteen, so that might change."

"How can your father condone such an aspiration? As an educated man, he should insist his daughters further themselves."

"It hasn't really come up yet; like I said, my youngest sisters are still in high school. I guess we won't really know for a couple of years what he will and will not allow them to do." Elizabeth had to fight to control her voice. She agreed that her parents should demand more of their youngest daughters, but could not stomach this horribly judgmental woman condemning their parenting in such a way. "I do know that he wouldn't force any of us to do something that we hated just so that he could brag about what we have achieved." She managed to keep her eyes from flicking toward Anne as she spoke. As she said the words though, she wondered if she really believed them herself. Dr. Bennet was an enigma, to say the least.

Ms. DeBourgh set her lips in a displeased manner, but did not cease her barrage of questions. "What about graduate school, are any of you planning to pursue advanced degrees?"

"I don't know yet about Mary, but both Jane and I want to. The problem is that we have to pay for that ourselves, our undergrad tuition is enough of a burden on our parents. Jane is working full time and living at home right now. She'll probably apply in a year or so, she wants to get a Ph. D in psychology eventually." Elizabeth looked at their hostess and was rewarded by a look of approval, so she went on. "I'd like to get an MBA, but like Jane, I think I'll have to work for a little while first to save up at least part of tuition. I don't want my loans to get overwhelming."

"You seem to be an intelligent young woman."

"Thank you, I like to think so." Elizabeth knew she should have regretted mouthing off in such a way, but she could not help herself. She saw Ms. DeBourgh's approval diminish, but more slightly than she had expected.

"You have a well-thought-out plan. I recommend that you counsel your younger sisters to follow a similar path. They will be far more successful in life with degrees to their names." She then turned to Charlotte and began a conversation about law school that Elizabeth could not follow, which was fine because she did not really care. She would have tried to talk to Anne, but Bill was sitting between them so that when she looked in that direction, her attention was arrested by the irritating man. Luckily dinner was soon over and they were escorted back to the front door by the butler while a maid they had not seen before went to retrieve their coats.

-o-o-o-o-

On the ride back to Bill's apartment, Elizabeth commented disdainfully on the amount of domestic help the DeBourghs seemed to require. Bill responded that he admired the woman's success, then proceeded to list the works of art owned by his boss, both in the house and on loan to various art galleries, and what they were each worth.

"Isn't Miss DeBourgh beautiful?" He asked. Elizabeth felt Charlotte tense in annoyance beside her as they stepped through the door. "And she's so sweet. We'll all miss her when she moves to Chicago."

"Oh, is that where she plans to go to grad school?" Elizabeth doubted that the old woman would let her charge out of her clutches for anything but another degree.

"No, but she can't stay here when she marries Mr. Darcy, his company is based in Chicago, so she'll have to move there I suppose."

"Excuse me? Aren't they cousins?" Elizabeth was appalled. She knew that rich people did weird things to keep their money together, but that seemed to go too far.

"Oh no, you see although Mr. Darcy is related to Ms. DeBourgh by blood, his mother was her sister; Miss DeBourgh is related only through marriage. Her father was the late Mr. DeBourgh's brother. They are not related to each other at all, but are related to some of the same people. That is how these things tend to work in the better families."

Elizabeth took exception to the idea that any family could be better than another no matter how wealthy or well-connected they were, but she held her tongue in that regard and concentrated on the question at hand. "I thought I heard he had a girlfriend in Chicago. Even if he broke up with her, this whole engagement thing came on quickly."

"Oh no, it was not quick at all." Now Bill Collins was patronizing her, and there were few things Elizabeth hated more. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and took a step back to reestablish her personal space as he continued. "They have been intended for each other their entire lives. He dates around, as any young man can be expected to, but when it's time for him to marry, it will be Miss DeBourgh, that is what his family wants for him. It is only unfortunate that he is not a lawyer, then he could take over the practice here in New York. Well, I suppose that Miss DeBourgh might still choose to pursue a J.D. and take over the firm herself, I would like to work for her someday."

Elizabeth was surprised, but decided that she did not care enough to point out the flaw in Bill's fantasy. Pemberley International was headquartered in Chicago while DeBourgh & Associates was in New York. As Collins himself had pointed out moments before , if she married Darcy, Anne would move to the midwest and could not take over her aunt's position as head of the law firm even if she did earn the required degree.

Tired from reigning in her sarcastic comments all evening as well as from the long drive earlier that day, Elizabeth announced her intention to go to bed and swiftly left the room. She made the mistake of looking back briefly and saw Charlotte and Bill kissing on the sofa. When she sat down on the guest bed, she decided that she would use her earplugs that night just in case.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_Thursday 28 December 2000 – Saturday 30 December 2000_

The next morning, while Bill Collins went to the office, Elizabeth and Charlotte went shopping and sightseeing. Charlotte seemed to understand her friend's discomfort regarding the subject of her current romance, and so kept her excited comments mostly to her new job.

Charlotte needed business attire, and so far more of the shopping was for her than for Elizabeth, but both women were delighted to find some great deals at after-Christmas sales at various shops, and almost overwhelmed by the surfeit of choices before them. Stores in New York were both larger and more widely stocked than those in Michigan.

That afternoon, Charlotte joined Bill at the office, and Elizabeth was left alone to explore the big apple. She was grateful that she had brought comfortable shoes, and walked for what must have been miles along the sidewalks of New York.

When she saw Bill and Charlotte late that afternoon, she was informed that they had once again been invited to dine at Ms. DeBourgh's home. Elizabeth was surprised at the frequency with which the woman was able to stand Bill's company, but chose to phrase the query more politely when asking the man himself.

"Do you usually go over there this often?"

"Not really, I have been especially lucky in her attention since you ladies arrived, but I am invited more than any other associate at the firm. I am flattered that Ms. DeBourgh considers me her own protégé. Although I usually only dine with her once or twice a month, and mostly at a restaurant near the office."

Elizabeth wanted to ask why they were being so honored if he was not usually the object of her hospitality, but could not think of a way to ask the question that would not come out sarcastically; she could only control herself so far. Fortunately, she did not have to ask because Bill did not give her a chance.

"Ms. DeBourgh has been very pleased about the addition of Charlotte to our firm, and want to make sure she feels welcome. Tonight, however, there will be additional guests. Two of her nephews are visiting and since you ladies have already met one of them, she thought it would be nice for all of us to have dinner together.

"Darcy's going to be there?" Elizabeth was upset at this development.

"Yes, and another of her nephews, a Mr. Fitzwilliam. I have not met him before, but I am sure that he is as educated and successful as the rest of Ms. DeBourgh's impressive family."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Bill's excessive formality was starting to bother her. It was fine when he referred to his boss in that way, but Anne was her age, and Darcy was not that old, so his cousin must be of their generation as well. She knew that Bill had no problem addressing her family and friends informally, so it must go back to that crap he believed about some people being better than others. Gritting her teeth in irritation, she went to guest room to change.

She put on the same slacks that she had worn before, this time pairing them with a red blouse she had bought on her recent shopping trip. It was a very nice blouse and she had thought it to be classy when they were at the store, but as she looked straight down, she noticed that there was more visible cleavage than she had realized. Although she would rather dress as conservatively as possible in the presence of the severe Ms. DeBourgh, Elizabeth knew that her only other choices were the casual sweatshirts she had brought for sightseeing and the sweater she had already worn. Deciding that sometimes it was better to acquiesce, Elizabeth slipped on her black dress shoes this time before heading out to catch a cab.

-o-o-o-o-

When the trio was shown into the parlor by the butler, the other guests were already there. Elizabeth supposed that it should not be a surprise given that they were probably staying with their aunt. She certainly had plenty of room, which seemed an unnecessary luxury in a city where space was at such a premium.

They were all introduced to Richard Fitzwilliam and said hello to Darcy. When he told Elizabeth it was nice to see her again, he held her hand longer than she deemed necessary, to the point where she almost yanked it away. The party conversed mostly amicably throughout drinks and dinner. Anne even managed to get a few words in when her aunt was distracted talking to Darcy.

Richard's physique and nose were reminiscent of Darcy's, but the similarities stopped there. Although he was less fundamentally attractive, his easy smile made him more pleasant to look at, Elizabeth thought. His hair was a much lighter brown than his dour cousin's and it fell over his forehead and eyes in a manner which seemed boyishly unkempt.

Because he seemed to hold little interest for his aunt, Richard spent most of the meal getting to know Elizabeth. She learned that he lived in Chicago and spent a lot of time with Darcy. She wanted to condemn him for this, but supposed that he could not choose his family, and was probably just being a dutiful cousin. He was funny and amicable. As a computer programmer and sometime animator, he had started his own video game company, something that Elizabeth found very impressive.

"You come from a family of entrepreneurs, don't you?"

"Not really, we do have a family business, which you obviously know about, it's one of those 'passed down from father to son' deals, but it has been generations since it was anything resembling a start-up."

"Why don't you work for Fitzwilliam Industries?"

"I'm not really the business-minded type. I need a more creative outlet. Besides, I have an older brother who is totally into that boring crap anyway, so they don't need me. Bob will take over when our dad retires, and pass it down to his children. I guess it's lucky for the family name that I'm not the only son like Darcy."

"Do you think he likes running a corporation?" As much as she wanted to avoid the subject of Darcy, Elizabeth was curious about the management of a company in which she had a genuine interest. "Does he have much to do with day-to-day operations, the hiring and such?"

"Oh yeah, Darcy's definitely the hands-on type. Nothing happens at Pemberly that doesn't go through him. 'Control freak' is another word for it."

Elizabeth had to hide her disappointment. She would have loved to work for a company about which she had heard so many good things, but could not possibly go through an interview process with a man like Darcy given what she knew about him.

It was lucky for her that Richard went on, "He has a tendency to rubber-stamp the short-term things – interns, temps, stuff like that; but anything major, he's all over."

Elizabeth did her best to hide it, but she found herself heartened by this particular nugget of information. Unfortunately, they only got to speak a few minutes longer before Ms. DeBourgh demanded their full attention, and they were pulled back into the less interesting conversation of the table as a whole.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, Elizabeth was exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art alone when she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around in response, she was pleasantly surprised to see Richard grinning at her, and even more surprised, although less pleasantly so, to see Darcy standing a few feet away and staring at her in his penetrating way.

"Richard, it's nice to see you. What brings you here?" She pretended not to notice the other man of her acquaintance.

"You do." At Elizabeth's raised eyebrow he continued. "You mentioned that you planned to spend today here, and I haven't been in years. When I ran the idea past Darcy, he was enthusiastic; well, as enthusiastic as he gets." Elizabeth could not help but smile at the qualifier.

"I enjoy art." Was Darcy's only contribution to the conversation.

"Right. Well, I've never been here before, and since I'm only about half an hour into my first visit, maybe I should just let you be my guide." She turned back to Richard and gave him a mildly flirtatious smile, which he returned with a glint in his eye.

"Like I said, it's been a while for me. I think we should let Darcy be our tour guide. He can help both of us see the good stuff." His cousin glared at him. "Yeah, I know Darce, it's all good stuff, but what do you like best."

"I know it's cliché," Elizabeth volunteered, "but I really like Impressionism."

"Than we shall go there first." Darcy said as he turned sharply on his heel and strode purposefully toward the elevator. Elizabeth almost had to jog to keep up.

Darcy did slow down considerably once they were looking at the exhibits. He clearly had more of an appreciation for the art than his obviously bored cousin. Elizabeth found herself engaged in fascinating discussions with a man whom she did not particularly like. The feeling was reminiscent of Bingley's party and it made her feel confused due to her simultaneous uncomfortableness and elation at finding such an interesting companion.

It was dark by the time the men dropped her off back at Bill's apartment. She had managed to make a lunch date with Richard out of Darcy's hearing, and was looking forward to the next day for that reason.

-o-o-o-o-

Richard was already sitting at a table when Elizabeth walked into the restaurant on Saturday. He was drinking a beer and munching on french fries. He saw her coming, and waved her over, where he offered her the basket.

"Sorry, I got hungry."

"Am I late?"

"No, I just woke up too late for breakfast, so I needed to eat soon. Plus, a little hair of the dog." He raised his beer glass to his lips.

Elizabeth then noticed his slightly red rimmed eyes and the shadow of a stamp left on his hand, she assumed it was from a club. "It looks like you guys had fun after you dropped me off last night."

"Darcy have fun? Not likely." Richard snorted in amusement. "No, he went home to go to bed like the boring responsible type that he is."

"At least he didn't try to keep you from having fun." Elizabeth's disdainful tone caused her companion to look at her strangely, but he could not say anything right away, as their waitress had arrived to take their order.

When they were left alone again, Richard posed a question he had wondered about since Wednesday night. "Lizzy, why don't you like Darcy?"

"What? No, I like him just fine." Elizabeth was flustered by the direct nature of Richard's question.

"He's a good guy you know, the best friend or brother a guy could have."

"I'm sure he is."

"No, really. He's had custody of his little sister since Uncle George died over six years ago. He even took her to Boston with him when he did his MBA at Harvard, they lived with my parents for a couple of years." Elizabeth was genuinely interested in the story in spite of herself, and Richard must have noticed because he volunteered more information. "Aunt Anne died when he was a teenager. Georgie, that's his sister, was just a baby and their dad wasn't really there for her. I mean, I know he loved them and all, but he was a much better father to Darcy than to Georgie, I think she made him sad, you know?"

Elizabeth decided to evade the question in favor of a query of her own. "Why do you call him by his last name? As family, I assumed you guys would be on a first name basis."

"Do you know Darcy's first name?" When she shook her head in the negative, he smiled. "He wants to keep it that way, so we all just call him 'Darcy', even family."

The conversation moved on to other things, but somehow found its way back to Darcy when Richard made a passing comment about Caroline Bingley during a discussion about excesses of the wealthy.

"I met her last fall, her brother opened a branch of his company in Ann Arbor and moved into our neighborhood for a short time."

"I'm sorry to hear that, not about Bingley of course, he's a good guy and a great friend of Darcy's, but Caroline is never any fun."

"I could tell they were close. Darcy and Charles I mean. They must be for Darcy to leave his sister for that long just to help him get settled."

"I stayed with her during his absence, plus there's a live-in housekeeper who's the closest thing to a mother Georgie has ever had. Darcy called every day, even when he was in England. It's almost annoying how much he worries. He takes good care of his friends too though, look at what he did for Bingley."

"He helped him set up a satellite office, I guess that was nice of him."

"It's not just business stuff, he gives good personal advice too. Like with Bingley; I heard there was some gold-digging chick who was trying to get her claws into him recently, and Darcy talked him into dumping her."

"Really?" Not trusting herself to say more, Elizabeth pressed her lips together tightly.

"Yeah, apparently he wasn't sure whether the woman was trying to get Bingley to marry her or promote her, but either way, it's bad news, right?"

"I suppose so." Elizabeth was glad to see their waitress with the check. She was not sure how much longer she could control herself.

Richard was confused at the abruptness with which she bade him farewell that afternoon, but did his best to hide it. As she approached the call box in front of Bill's building, he asked a question to which he hoped the answer was obvious.

"You're coming to the party on New Year's eve, right?"

"Of course." Her answer was definitive, if distracted.

"Great, save me a dance." Then, with a wave of his hand, Richard disappeared around the corner, leaving Elizabeth to her thoughts.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

_Saturday 30 December 2000 – Monday 1 January 2001_

Later that afternoon, Elizabeth went for a walk in Central Park. She was bundled up enough that the cold was little bother, although she would not be able to spend quite as much time outdoors as she might have liked.

She was distracted gazing at snow angels and snowmen left by children and was not looking where she was going when she bumped into what felt like an immovable object. A pair of strong hands startled her when they grabbed her shoulders to keep her upright. She almost screamed in surprise, but hesitated when she thought there was something familiar about her situation. She glanced briefly at her captor, and recognized him immediately, pulling herself decidedly from his grasp and stepping back.

"We must stop meeting like this." A wry smile adorned his handsome lips, and Elizabeth shook her head almost violently to clear the lustful thought. "Are you alright? I called your name a moment ago, but I believe that you were too distracted to notice."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Elizabeth mumbled, then, in a near repeat of their encounter months before, she turned accusatory. "Why didn't you move? I'm starting to think you stand in my way on purpose." She thought briefly to herself that if he called her short again, she just might have to hit him."

"I fear that I was distracted as well by the time you reached me. I love ice-covered trees and all the scenery of winter."

"Yeah, fine, it was an accident. What are you doing here?"

"I stopped by Bill and Charlotte's apartment, I was told that you had come here for a walk." His assignation of the apartment was disturbing. Elizabeth had not allowed herself to admit that her friend was moving. She realized though, that the arrogant ass was right, and somehow in her mind, losing her friend became partially his fault as well.

"Why did you want to see me?"

"I thought you might like to go to my aunt's New Year's Eve party with me."

"I'm already going, I was invited myself."

"Yes, of course, but I thought you might come as my date."

Elizabeth blinked her eyes slowly a few times before looking intently at Darcy's face. "Your what, now?"

"I decided to invite you as my personal guest. It's nice to have somebody to kiss at midnight, besides I think that we are quite compatible and a relationship could develop."

"Don't you have a girlfriend? I thought I heard Charles say something about that."

"I was seeing somebody when we first met, but that has been over for months now. I would not consider a relationship with you if I were otherwise attached."

"Really?" Elizabeth was all but speechless at Darcy's candor.

"Of course, I would never consider cheating in a relationship, and I have been thinking about you for some time. I know that we are from different backgrounds economically. I have given the situation adequate thought and have decided to pursue you despite the disparity. I tried to talk myself out of it, but frankly, I cannot stop thinking about you. Although you were not raised with the same advantages that I was and that causes some distinct differences in our lives; we have many common interests in addition to our similar academic pursuits, despite the dissimilarity between our respective institutions, and I believe that sort of thing makes us compatible intellectually and perhaps romantically."

She could not contain her disbelief. "You thought this hard about asking me out on one date?"

"I am not the sort of man who dates casually and could not, in good conscience, ask you out on one date if I didn't foresee any sort of future relationship."

Elizabeth searched for something to say other than the insults to his sanity that seemed to be itching to leap out of her throat. "We don't even live in the same state."

"I am not opposed to long-distance relationships. That sort of thing can help a rapport develop without entangling outside influences in the process. Eventually, if things worked out, you would move to Chicago. There are plenty of job opportunities and places to further your education near to where I live."

One phrase of his explanation stood out to her. "Outside influences – do you mean my family?"

"Among other things, yes. You must admit that a family like yours could prove a detriment to a serious relationship."

The blatant insult to her family was the last straw for Elizabeth. She exploded at him. "A family like mine? You mean one that loves each other and lives in the same city? Maybe it would be better if my family was like yours with an overbearing aunt, a borderline incestuous engagement, a stuck up teenager, a drunken cousin, and an arrogant asshole at the center of it all who betrays one friend by pulling the plug on his education and another by lying to him about his girlfriend while he goes gallivanting around Europe, leaving his sister with the hired help!"

"Excuse me? I have no idea to what you refer." Any trace of a smile had fled from Darcy's lips. His eyes turned cold as he glared at Elizabeth.

"Of course you don't, you have no idea that you've hurt anybody do you? Other people aren't important enough to matter to you." She was shouting now, letting all the anger she felt toward him pour out of her mouth.

"I demand that you explain yourself!" By this point, their argument had grown loud enough to attract the attention of a several people nearby. In their rage, however, neither participant noticed all the unfamiliar eyes trained upon them.

"Oh, you demand, do you? Well, I'd better tell you then, since you demand it." Elizabeth wanted to turn on her heel and storm off, but she could not contain her fury enough to prevent her list of grievances from escaping no matter who might overhear. "First of all, in asking me out, you insulted my family and my upbringing. You tried to talk yourself out of liking me, but failed. You've already planned a life for me – for us – assuming not only my acquiescence to your horrifying request, but a continued relationship as well." Her hands were shaking in anger, so she balled them up into fists as she continued. "Also, what makes you think I would go out with you given what an asshole I know you to be?" She went on without allowing him time to reply. "I know what you did to George Wickham, he told me all about it."

Darcy could not help but interrupt at this juncture. "What makes you like him so much?"

"Whether I like him or not, which I do, doesn't matter. What matters is what you did to him. You took away any chance he had at getting a good job when you got him kicked out of school, just so you could buy an extra car or jet ski or whatever it is you rich guys covet."

"You don't know anything about me! I did not do what you seem to think." He raised his voice to match hers in volume, which only served to irritate her more.

"I know that you did everything you could to break my sister's heart! Or do you deny making Charles Bingley leave town too?"

"Why would I deny that in which I take pride? I helped my friend to make the right decision and I am glad. The situation was unpleasant for everybody involved."

"I know it wasn't ideal. Jane never wanted to work for her boyfriend, it was a total coincidence, and she would've given up her job to be with Bingley. They were in love, but you took that choice away from her, away from them! I haven't seen her really happy in months now and it's your fault, just like Wickham's pathetic job situation." She turned away from him as if to leave, then spun back around for a parting shot. "I don't know what possessed you to approach me today, but you should know that I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on Earth!"

"If you truly hate me as much as you profess, I can have nothing more to say to you. I hope that you have a safe drive home." With that, Darcy strode off, leaving Elizabeth feeling overheated despite the cold.

-o-o-o-o-

During her trek back to Bill's apartment, Elizabeth ruminated on some of the things Darcy had said to her. She was unable to get his last statement out of her mind. He wished her a safe drive; why would anyone say that in anger? Eventually it occurred to her that it was probably just his stuffy, backhanded way of telling her not to come to the New Year's Eve party that his aunt was hosting. After the fight she had just had, Elizabeth had no desire to see Darcy or any of his family again. Although she was loath to give him the satisfaction of sending her away, Elizabeth decided that leaving before the event was her best option.

She explained her decision to her hosts as a desire to be home with her family as soon as possible. Although Bill claimed to understand her familial attachment, he insisted that Ms. DeBourgh was expecting her and they should not disappoint such a woman. She could tell that Charlotte did not believe her, but she put up only a token protest. Elizabeth appreciated that her friend had always been able to tell when something was really wrong. She promised Charlotte that she would call when she reached home, and packed her things in preparation for her trip the next day.

Elizabeth left New York early on Sunday morning. She did not stop for breakfast until she was well out of the city. She turned on loud music to keep herself awake and decided to forgo any sightseeing jaunt through Pittsburgh. Attractions were likely closed due to the holiday anyway, she surmised. The roads were icy and busy however, so despite her early start and altered plan, Elizabeth did not arrive home at any sort of reasonable hour. She rang in the first New Year since she had become old enough to go to a bar driving alone through Ohio and singing along loudly with her tape of _Rent_.

By the time she got home and headed up the stairs to bed, the Bennet house was quiet. All of its occupants seemed to be asleep. Elizabeth was glad that she would have at least until the morning before she would have to explain her early departure from New York to her family.

-o-o-o-o-

Late the next morning, Elizabeth was met by her surprised family when she went downstairs to breakfast. She mumbled some vague excuses about not wanting to go to an office party and wondered how they had failed to notice the extra vehicle in the driveway. After getting dressed, she returned Mrs. Lucas's minivan and called Charlotte.

Elizabeth had had plenty of time to think during her long drive home, and had decided not to give Charlotte any details about her fight with Darcy. She decided only to tell her friend that they had argued and that she did not feel up to attending a party with him. "Besides, he didn't want me to go, and he had more of a right to be there than I did."

"He was actually pretty surprised that you weren't there."

"You talked to him about me? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't, not really I mean. He asked where you were and looked disappointed not to see you."

"Yeah, I'm sure he was heartbroken." Elizabeth could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but refused to give Charlotte any more information regarding their confrontation.

"Richard asked after you too, apparently you promised him a dance."

"I had forgotten about that." Elizabeth laughed. "We had a weird lunch the other day, but he's a nice guy, I hope you apologized for me."

"I didn't need to, I took your place. I love Bill, but it was nice to dance with someone who didn't step on my toes for a bit." The lighthearted banter helped the shadow of Darcy recede from over Elizabeth's head until Charlotte brought him up again. "Darcy had something to tell you, he asked me to - "

"No," Elizabeth cut her off, "we're talking about more pleasant things now, or at least less unpleasant things. Was Ms. DeBourgh upset that I skipped out on her summons?"

Charlotte laughed. "She does present invitations that way doesn't she? No. She didn't even notice."

"Good. I would hate for Bill to get in trouble for letting me escape."

The rest of the conversation was lighthearted. The subject of Darcy was not brought up again.


	22. Chapter 22

_I just want to say for everyone's benefit (again) how much I appreciate reviewers, especially those of you who consistently give me feedback that encourages me to keep working on this story. If that keeps up, perhaps I will be able to keep up this posting schedule of sorts. Well, it is not a schedule per se, but I mean to keep up with my basically established speed of posting. If you keep reviewing, I will keep writing :)_

**Chapter 22**

_Sunday 7 January 2001 – Monday 8 January 2001_

Elizabeth pulled her mother's minivan into a parking space and slammed the door as she got out. She did not understand why her mother needed wine immediately. If she planned on making this particular beef stew recipe, she should have gotten the wine with the other ingredients. She strode into the liquor store in a huff and grabbed the first cheap bottle of red wine that she saw. She placed the bottle on the counter without looking up and pulled the money her mother had given her from her pocket.

"Damn it!" She cried upon realizing that she had forgotten her wallet. She had no identification to prove her age. She had been on edge for more than a week and this was not helping.

"It's okay Lizzy, I know you're legal." The cashier's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up for the first time.

"George!" Elizabeth was surprised to see George Wickham. She had not thought about him except in connection to Darcy for some time, since he had let her down by not asking her out on a date. "I didn't know you worked here."

"I just started; still looking for my purpose in life and all that. What's up with you?" He rang up the wine and handed Elizabeth her change, but made no move to give her the bottle of wine, now encased in a narrow brown bag.

"Nothing really, just back to school and stuff like that. I haven't seen you around much." Since there was nobody else in the store that Sunday afternoon, the pair felt no need to hurry along their conversation. Wickham explained that he had been pursuing a business opportunity in Detroit which had fallen through, but was back in Ann Arbor for the time being. Elizabeth told him about her trip to New York in general terms, completely omitting any mention of Darcy.

"Now that we're in the same city at the same time," Wickham flashed his dazzling smile, "I was hoping you'd like to go out with me sometime."

"I would love to." Elizabeth had been attracted to him from their first meeting, and got over months of disappointment in an instant. This seemed like exactly what she needed to get that jerk Darcy out of her head.

They set a date for that Friday at seven o'clock, and Elizabeth headed home with a bottle of wine, much happier than when she had left.

-o-o-o-o-

On Monday, Elizabeth stopped at the mailbox on her way into the house as was her habit. There were the usual bills and catalogs, but her attention was caught by the unusually sized manila envelope addressed to her. The return address sticker had the name "Bill Collins" crossed out, and "Charlotte Lucas" written in its place. Elizabeth made a mental note to buy Charlotte some address labels of her own for her birthday later that month.

Leaving the rest of the mail on the kitchen table, Elizabeth took the large envelope upstairs to her room, where she eagerly tore it open. It contained a one page note and a letter-size white envelope that only said "Elizabeth" in unfamiliar handwriting. When she turned it over, she noticed that it was sealed only with blue wax stamped in an ornate design that was too small to make out easily. Tamping down her curiosity about the second envelope, Elizabeth unfolded the note and began to read.

_Thursday, January 4__th__, 2001_

_Dear Lizzy,_

_ What I was trying to say when we talked on New Year's Day was that Darcy had something to tell you. He asked about you at the party and seemed upset that you weren't there. He didn't dance once all night. Richard also expressed regret not to see you, but he's a more cheerful guy and danced with lots of women, not just me. You did pretty well for yourself making friends with two of Ms. DeBourgh's nephews like you did. They are both handsome, successful guys. I like Richard better though, he's more fun, although I admit that he is a bit of a flirt._

_ Anyway, I need to tell you about Darcy. Like I said, he was very eager to talk to you, and wanted to get your phone number. I almost gave it to him (remember, this was before we talked about him on Monday) but then I remembered how upset you had been when you got back from the park on Saturday and just in case he was the reason (I am apparently psychic) I thought it best not to give it to him. He seemed kind of desperate to get a message to you though, so I told him if he wrote it down, I would make sure you got it. I couldn't promise him you would read it of course, but I hope you will. I don't know what he did to you in New York or said in the letter, but he seemed really sincere about wanting to apologize and explain himself._

_ If you want my totally unsolicited advice, I say give the guy a chance._

_Love,_

_Charlotte_

Elizabeth looked from Charlotte's letter to the envelope that she now knew was from Darcy. It both elated and scared her that she held in her hands some sort of explanation for his abhorrent behavior. She decided that she would not throw it away, but could not stand to read it while she was still so angry at him.

Placing the sealed envelope in her nightstand drawer, Elizabeth walked out of her bedroom and grabbed the cordless telephone before retreating behind her closed door once again. She knew that she had to call Charlotte to acknowledge her receipt of the letter, but she did not want to talk about it yet, so she decided that calling while her friend was still at work was her answer. She knew that she would have to leave a cryptic message, since Bill would probably hear it too, and took a moment to plan before dialing the phone.

"Hi Charlotte." She began innocuously after she heard the beep. "I just wanted you to know that I got your message, and if the client asks, you can tell him that I haven't had a chance yet to review the materials he sent me, but I plan to do so at a later date."

Elizabeth knew that while this might arouse suspicion in Charlotte's boyfriend, he could probably be put off by the excuse of attorney-client confidentiality. She would explain more to Charlotte when they next spoke on the phone, hopefully she would feel up to it by then.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

_Thursday 11 January 2001 - Friday 12 January 2001_

After spending a few days debating whether it was better to know or not to know, Elizabeth decided to put off her decision for as long as possible. Since she was unable to choose whether to read or destroy the letter, she thought about a related quandary. The deadline to apply for her dream internship was fast approaching, and she decided to go for it. A few weeks before, she had all but decided against applying to Pemberley International. She did not want to have any contact with its CEO, and even more, she did not want him to think she was asking for a favor just because she knew him. After her talk with Richard Fitzwilliam in New York however, she had decided to take the risk. He might never know she applied, and even if she got the job, it was possible that she could avoid seeing him all summer. She highly doubted that the head of a multibillion dollar corporation had nothing better to do than meet with all his low-level temporary employees.

Before sending in her application, Elizabeth called her aunt and uncle in Chicago. If she was selected for an interview, she would need somewhere to stay for the night. Her aunt answered the phone and was enthusiastic about her niece's upcoming visit, even if it was only a possibility.

"I hope you agree to stay with us for the summer whether you get the job or not Lizzy. The boys love you, and I'll really need the help then."

"Is everything okay?" Suddenly an internship was the last thing on Elizabeth's mind.

"Fine, more than fine really." Her aunt Maddie laughed. "You'll just have another cousin to play with this summer."

Elizabeth was delighted to hear such exciting information, even more so to hear it first. Too often she felt like everyone else knew family news before she did. That was the price, she supposed, of trying to discourage her mother from gossiping, she tended to get left out of the loop.

She mailed her application that afternoon, satisfied that she would have a good summer either way.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth was anxious Friday night as she prepared for her first date with Wickham. She was partially nervous because she liked him and it had been a very long time since she had been on a date, but she was also nervous because there was extra pressure on this relationship already, given how much her family liked him.

Lydia and Kitty were obviously jealous of her date, they had both developed crushes on the handsome man when they first met him at the mall in the autumn; Lydia, especially, had been quite mean to her second-eldest sister all week,telling her that there was no way Wickham really liked her. Jane remembered him as friendly and handsome, and Mrs. Bennet had been charmed by him at Mary's birthday celebration. Even Dr. Bennet, who was not thrilled about any of his daughters dating anyone, seemed to like him just fine.

"He is a little smarmy, but in an oddly likable sort of way." He had proclaimed as his opinion when Elizabeth had told her family about the upcoming date. His wife and most of his progeny had not really known what to make of this opinion, but his most intelligent daughter had decided to take it as positive reinforcement of her choice in men.

"Praise from Caesar." She had declared the statement with an affectionate kiss to her father's cheek. It was true that Dr. Bennet rarely approved of his daughters' beaux. He had liked Bingley until the first night that Jane had not returned from a date before he went to bed. After that, he had declared him to be "irresponsible", an opinion that he repeated occasionally until the couple had broken up, at which point he stopped mentioning Bingley altogether as if the man had never existed.

-o-o-o-o-

Wanting to avoid Wickham coming to the door to get her, Elizabeth watched impatiently starting at 6:45pm from the family room window while her sisters watched television nearby. At 7:10, a car pulled up in the Bennets' driveway, and Elizabeth flew out the front door, calling to her family to lock the door behind her. Wickham had not had a chance to even turn off the engine before she was standing at the passenger side waiting for him to unlock her door.

"I know I'm a little late, sorry about that by the way, but our reservation isn't until 7:30, so we don't have to rush." Despite his comment, he began to reverse out of the driveway without checking to see if his passenger was fully settled.

"It's not that, I just didn't want you to come in and be subjected to The Spanish Inquisition." Elizabeth said as she buckled her seat belt.

"Your family's not that bad, I've met them before."

"That's the problem, they like you."

"I didn't know that was a bad thing."

"It's not really, it's just . . . I guess I'd rather have to you to myself tonight." Elizabeth could not help but blush as she spoke.

"Now that, I can't find any reason to argue with."

They continued with friendly banter and pleasant conversation throughout the drive to the restaurant and their meal. The unpleasant subject of Darcy came up a few times, always at Wickham's instigation, but Elizabeth dismissed all mention of him as uninteresting. She told her date that she wanted to hear about the man he was and not the man he had been prevented from becoming.

-o-o-o-o-

The date went well, and neither wanted it to end so soon, but Elizabeth pointed out that unlike most college students, she lived with her parents.

"My dad can go from liking you to hating you really fast. All you have to do is bring me home late."

"I could bring you home early instead, tomorrow morning." Wickham suggested with raised eyebrows and a wolfish grin.

"It's our first date." Elizabeth's forehead was furrowed in annoyance and he caught on quickly.

"Of course, you're right, I was just kidding." His tone was forcibly light, and Elizabeth decided to let it go. They were standing near his car in the parking lot of the restaurant getting ready to leave when he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close. With their bodies pressed together, Wickham leaned down to kiss her goodnight. The kiss was pleasant and lasted longer than Elizabeth had expected. She kissed him back, however, and did not object to him deepening the kiss when he tried. It was not until his hand traveled too far south that Elizabeth pulled back. The pressure on her butt had reminded her of where they were, and suddenly she felt uncomfortable with the situation. She pushed gently on his chest, and Wickham pulled back, but did not release her from his embrace.

"I guess it's time to get Cinderella home then." He teased gently.

"Before I turn into a pumpkin." She joked, feeling more at ease as he let her go to unlock the car.

They drove to Elizabeth's house in mostly comfortable silence, which Wickham interrupted to ask her out on a second date. He was working the rest of the weekend, so they made plans for the same time next week, and he promised to be more prompt.

When they pulled into the driveway, Wickham surprised Elizabeth by turning off his car and walking her to the door. "Until next week." Was all he said before he gave her a brief peck on the lips in full view of any spies who might be watching from the house and returned to his car.

Elizabeth walked inside with a dreamy sort of smile on her face and headed toward Jane's bedroom. There, she encountered both of her youngest sisters, who had been looking through the window. Kitty was full of questions about her date, but Lydia only scowled and stomped off. Elizabeth spoke to her remaining sister for a few moments before sending her away so that she could get ready for bed. She was looking forward to next Friday.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

_Friday 19 January 2001 – Saturday 20 January 2001_

It had been a long week for Elizabeth. She felt like the days were dragging on interminably and her classes would never end. It was an odd feeling to have so close to the beginning of the semester, but she knew why she was having it. Her date the week before with Wickham had been fun. It had been nearly a year since she had been out on a date, and she had not realized how much she missed it until last Friday. Although she had made good use of her time "off the market"; she had done volunteer work, held down a summer job, concentrated on school, and gotten closer with her father; Elizabeth knew that it was well past time to get back into the proverbial saddle. She would never have said that aloud at home however, she would not want her mother to know she was right about anything.

She waited by the front window again, and this time Wickham was only five minutes late. He headed toward downtown, where he parked in a structure. The two walked hand in hand as they meandered through the crowded sidewalks and one-way streets, finally ending up at a bar some distance away from campus that Elizabeth claimed had great cheeseburgers.

During the meal, Wickham only tried to bring up Darcy once, and was pleased to hear Elizabeth call him a jerk when she dismissed the topic. The conversation turned more pleasantly toward Wickham's business plan, and she was impressed to hear that he had entrepreneurial aspirations of his own.

-o-o-o-o-

After dinner Wickham was pleased that Elizabeth agreed to stay out a bit later and accompany him to a club. She explained that since her father was away for the weekend at a symposium, she would not have to answer to him for her tardy homecoming.

"My mom can sleep through anything, plus she doesn't care when I come back, but my dad wakes up at the slightest noise. He knows when we sneak food from the kitchen and the precise minute any of us gets home no matter how late it is. He rarely says much about it, he lets his glares do his chastising for him"

"Well, we'll just have to take advantage of his absence then, won't we?" Wickham smiled and let go of her hand in order to wrap his arm around her waist as they walked the few blocks to the club.

When they arrived, he bypassed the line and spoke to the bouncer. Elizabeth was amazed and a little impressed that they were allowed in without waiting, paying the cover charge, or showing their IDs. Once inside, Wickham got them both drinks and they had a fun time dancing to the loud music and doing shots at the bar. Time flew by, and eventually Elizabeth was ready to call it quits for the night.

"I should go home now." She slurred slightly as they staggered out of the club. Wickham helped to hold her up as they made their way around the corner. They stood on the sidewalk making out for a few minutes before he started to lead her in the direction of the parking garage.

"No," Elizabeth shook her head, "we should get a cab. We're totally drinked, I mean drunk." She giggled so hard that she pitched forward, but luckily her date was facing her, and she ended up with the top of her head pressed against his chest.

"I'm not nearly as drunk as you are Lizzy, I promise I can get us home safely. Besides I live close by, if you're really worried we can walk there."

"But I need to go to my house, that's where I sleep." Confusion flickered across her face, clearly the alcohol was preventing her from understanding something, but she was not sure what.

"You can sleep at my place tonight." Wickham's voice cajoled. "I promise to take good care of you." One hand was firmly on her butt again, and his other hand started to stroke closer to her breast. For a moment, Elizabeth leaned into his touch, but when his questing hand reached its target, she felt for a moment like a bucket of water had been splashed over her.

"No!" She stepped backwards quickly and had to grab a sign post to steady herself. "I like you, I really do, but we've only been out twice. I can't spend the night with you yet."

"You sure as hell acted like you could."

"What do you mean?" She fumbled with the zipper of her coat, trying to get it closed. She had not noticed the cold when they had been in such close proximity, but she had started to shiver the moment they were separated.

"The way you were pressing all up against me and flirting and throwing yourself at me -"

"I never threw myself at anybody!" She interrupted angrily.

"You did, you're a teasing bitch! Is that what you get off on, turning a guy on all night then shooting him down when it's go time?"

Wickham had gone too far in calling her a tease, it reminded Elizabeth of her painful breakup that had occurred around the same time the year before. Unable to think of any other way to respond, she closed her hand into a fist and took a swing a him. Fortunately for Wickham, he had not been lying when he claimed to be more sober than she was, and he easily evaded the punch. He laughed as she windmilled her arms in an attempt to keep her balance, and was slightly disappointed when she succeeded.

"I'm only going one direction." He began his ultimatum. "If you don't want to come to my place, you can find your own way home." He then strode off in the direction of the parking garage without waiting to see if his date would follow.

Although it was cold out, Elizabeth knew that she had no choice; there was no way that she was going to go home with that man. Even if she had been considering it earlier in the night, and it had crossed her mind briefly before she dismissed it as being premature, she certainly would not now after such an altercation. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then began moving slowly toward her own home.

Fortunately she managed to hail a cab some five minutes later, and was spared the indignity and discomfort of trudging over a mile through the slush in the middle of the night. When she arrived home she wanted nothing more than a shower to wash the smell of smoke out of her hair, but knew that it would wake up her sisters. Deciding that she needed to change her sheets the next day anyway, Elizabeth only removed her shoes and coat before crawling into bed and falling asleep.

-o-o-o-o-

When she woke up late the next morning, Elizabeth was pleased that she was not as hung over as she expected. She peeked out the door of her room to check for curious sisters before bolting to the bathroom to take her shower. She did not want to answer any questions that she knew would arise if they saw her in the same clothes as she had worn the night before on her date.

Minutes later as she worked her shampoo into a lather, she breathed in the clean herbal scent and smiled. She thought about her disastrous date the night before, and decided that the best thing to do was forget about Wickham as quickly as possible. She knew he had a business venture in Toledo he was looking into, maybe he would move there and she would never have to see him again. Deciding to think positively, Elizabeth was happy with that assumption. As she thought about Wickham however, she could not help but remember how vocally he had expressed his dislike of Darcy. She had been upset at Darcy for many reasons, not the least of which was his treatment of a man she had previously thought to be trustworthy and pleasant.

As she stood under the spray letting it rinse everything away, she found herself curious about the contents of the letter in her nightstand. She had told the truth when Charlotte had called her back. Elizabeth had told her friend that she would not destroy the letter, but she also had not yet been ready to read it, she had still been mad at its author. Now she found herself in a strange position. Although was not any less angry at Darcy for the myriad of non-Wickham related offenses he had committed, she was angrier at Wickham; his offenses had been more severe.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She muttered to herself, trying to remember where she had read the phrase. By the time Elizabeth stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in her blue terrycloth robe, she had made a decision: she would read Darcy's letter. It was not exactly an olive branch, he would not know she had read it, but it was a start.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth sat on her bed, propped up by pillows and stared at the envelope in her hands. It felt slightly heavy and thick The handwriting that labeled it with her name was neat and even, devoid of any sort of flourish. She turned it over and studied the seal, it was interesting that he had not licked the envelope to close it, the edges gapped and it depended on just one thumbprint-sized dollop of decorated wax to keep its secrets. She could see an F and a D, surrounded by a crest of some kind, but it was too small to make out many details. She assumed the letters to be his initials and smiled at the thought that she had made one bit of progress into finding out his first name, now she had an initial. She thought through names that began with the letter F: Francis? Fredrick? Felix? Fletcher? None of those names seemed to suit him. She decided that there was nothing to do but open the envelope and see what it contained.

For some reason that even Elizabeth did not understand, she opened the envelope as carefully as possible, doing her best not to break the seal itself. Inside were several sheets of thick, high-quality notepaper, embossed with a larger version of the same emblem which had adorned the envelope. The paper was unlined, but the handwritten words that filled the pages were even and steady. Elizabeth gathered all her emotional strength and began to read:

_Wednesday, January 3__rd__, 2001_

_Dear Miss Bennet,_

_ I am sorry to have to use your friend as a means of conveying this message to you, but she would give me neither your telephone number nor your e-mail address, which came as no surprise, given how upset you were with me when we last spoke. I understand that you dislike me and I would like to respect your wish that I stay at a distance, but I could not allow all communication to cease without at least providing an explanation for my actions which you found so abhorrent._

_ You accused me of several offenses when we last spoke, and I cannot claim to be innocent of all the charges, but there is one incident you mentioned in which I feel that I must insist I am not the ogre you think me to be, and that is in regard to my purported treatment of George Wickham. I am sure that he has told you some convoluted story that has just enough facts in it to seem the truth; that tends to be his way. I will relate here the full story as I recall it so that you may draw your own conclusions. I only ask that you not repeat what you read here to anybody, especially my most recent dealings with him, as I have made a considerable effort to conceal most of what has gone on between us all this time, and last year, an innocent third party was unfortunately involved._

_ Wickham has spoken to you on the subject, so you may know that his father and my own were the best of friends. They attended Harvard Business School together, and my father got him a well-deserved job at Pemberley International. Uncle Scott, as I called him, was a wonderful man whom I liked and admired, but his wife was not what I would call nurturing. Unfortunately, I fear that she had the greater influence on their son. Scott Wickham died during my senior year of high school. A few months later, after the life insurance had paid out, Mrs. Wickham ran off with a younger man who had probably been her lover for years, and left her teenage son with us. My father was happy to have Wickham around, I left for college that year and my sister Georgiana was just a little girl; I think that he was pleased to have someone to whom he could relate in the house. After high school, my father offered to send him anywhere he wanted to go for college. Despite not being a hard-worker, Wickham's grades were decent and his test scores were high. He is actually a fairly intelligent, if highly unprincipled, man. He wanted to go to school in California and my father was happy to foot the bill. Two years later, after my father's death, Wickham came to me demanding money for school. I gave him enough to cover his tuition, rent, books, and incidentals. By the next semester I had employed a CPA, so I told him to have his tuition bill sent to her, but he was insistent upon receiving the full sum in cash. I soon learned that he had been expelled from UCLA the previous year and had pocketed the last two checks he had been given for his education. My father's will stipulated that Wickham was to receive $50,000 as a graduation present, which I believe that he meant for a down payment on a home, and employment at Pemberley International. As a college dropout, he was not qualified for most of the positions I had available, but I offered him a job in the mail room out of respect for my father's wishes. He turned down the opportunity and insisted on the money he expected from the will. When I explained the condition, he became belligerent, and I decided that it was for the best to just give him the money and sever all ties he had to my family. I did not hear from him for several years._

_ Unfortunately, we reestablished contact last spring, when he again approached me asking for a job. I do not know what he had been doing in the intervening time, which is probably for the best. When he came to me I should have refused, but out of consideration for the way my father once felt about him, I gave him the mail room position he had previously spurned. Not long after his employment commenced, things began to go missing around the office, including the entire petty cash box. Either Wickham was too stupid to realize that we had security cameras, or he put too much faith in our long-gone friendship, but his culpability was easily proven and I fired him last summer. What I had failed to notice was that he had been renewing his acquaintance with Georgiana during his tenure at Pemberley, and had begun to provide alcohol for her group of friends. One evening after receiving a strange phone call from my sister, I went to pick her up at a party. I found her nearly unconscious and being carried by Wickham to his car. He claimed that he had found her that way and was bringing her home to me. She has no recollection of the entire night, which is not surprising given that the ER doctors found Rohypnol in her system. I have no proof that Wickham either provided the drug or planned to take advantage of the situation, but even if he had nothing to do with Georgiana's condition that night, he bears some responsibility; he should not have been buying alcohol for fifteen year-olds no matter the circumstances. He thought I should compensate him financially for his "help" whereas I wanted to tell the police that he had provided alcohol to minors, but he pointed out to me that doing so could get Georgiana in trouble as well, and I did not want an MIP on her record. I generally prefer to forget as much of the situation as is possible, but I will swear to its veracity. If you choose not to believe me, I will understand, but please do not let yourself be drawn in by George Wickham's friendly personality. I could never forgive myself if my boorish behavior drove you to such a cad. My cousin Richard, in whom you may place more trust than myself, has been around for most of Wickham's antics and will verify all that I have said to you, although likely with coarser language when describing the perpetrator himself._

_ The second most heinous act of which you accused me was separating two people in love. Although I admit to doing so, it was not with any malice aforethought. I know that Bingley was in love with your sister, but I have seen him fall in love before. His feelings are rarely what I would call steadfast. I also wondered at her feelings for him. I saw that she seemed rather indifferent around him and allowed myself to be drawn to the conclusion that she was seeing him only for the career advancement that he could provide. I was foolish to believe Caroline when she claimed that Jane had approached her for a position at SB Tech. I also realize now that because I observed them mostly in an office setting, what I thought was indifference may have in fact been professionalism. My advice to Bingley was that he and Jane choose between having a personal relationship and a professional one, I had no way of knowing that he would make the decision for her, although I do admit that I confessed to him my assessment of her feelings which you have since assured me was incorrect._

_ I am not sure if I can fully refute all of the other accusations that you heaped upon me, but I shall attempt to explain at least some of them. First of all, it took me some time to figure out what you meant by the engagement of which you accused me, but I believe that you meant Anne. From your phrasing, I assume that you know she is not really my cousin, but you ought to know that she is also not my fiancée. As I stated to you last week; if I had made a commitment to a woman, I would never dishonor that by attempting to date another. Anne and I have known each other nearly all of our lives. When our Aunt Catherine gave up on having children of her own, she began prying into the lives of her nieces and nephews. It may be cynical of me to say, but the day that Anne's parents died must have been one of the happiest days of her life, it gave her control over another person. She seems to think that we would make an excellent couple, but I have no interest in pursuing such a relationship. Although I like Anne well enough, we have little in common and I have never been particularly attracted to her. Besides, having known her since childhood as I have, I see her almost as another cousin and would probably view the relationship as "borderline incestuous" myself._

_ Your other main accusation seemed to be that I am excessively arrogant and controlling. I admit that I never thought of myself as arrogant, I have always considered myself as having pride in myself and my family's accomplishments, but I can understand your criticism given how I spoke about your own family. I meant no disrespect, which I understand you may find difficult to believe. I only meant that your family exhibits certain behaviors which could be detrimental to the cultivation of a relationship. Although your father seems emotionally detached in many ways, he manages to appear overprotective when it comes to his daughters, which is in stark contrast to your mother's apparent attitude toward gentlemen callers. Your two youngest sisters seem to be incorrigible flirts and, to be frank, Mary scares me a bit. I apologize if that sounds harsh, but I mean only to explain why it seemed to me that a relationship could flourish better outside the circle of your family. As for being controlling and presumptive, I suppose that may be true. I have been responsible for my younger sister's welfare for years, to an extent even before my father died, and I am used to having full authority. I do not date women with whom I could not have a long-term relationship and I suppose that I erroneously assumed I would need to make certain decisions in order to keep the relationship progressing smoothly, by which I mean in a manner I would find comfortable. This next statement may sound arrogant, but I am only stating as a fact that I have never before been turned down for a date. I understand that this may have as much or more to do with my fortune and family name as it does with my own personal virtues, but the point remains that I was entirely unprepared for the possibility, and I apologize for my presumption. I knew that you were unlike any woman I had ever met, but clearly, I underestimated just how much, and I only mean that in the best of ways._

_ I thank you for your time and hope that when we meet again someday, we will be able to enjoy each other's company._

_Sincerely,_

_Fitzwilliam S. Darcy _

As Elizabeth finished the letter, she wiped a tear from her eye, then let out a small laugh at the thought of how far she had needed to go to discover the man's first name. She ruminated on the letter for some time as she processed each confession he had made to her. She read it start to finish one more time before folding it back up, returning it to its envelope, and hiding it in her nightstand drawer. Some of his explanations seemed more valid to her than others. She still found him to be a bit condescending, but the fact that he was willing to acknowledge his failing went a long way toward helping her forgive him for it. Although his opinion of her family was a bit low, Elizabeth knew that she had shared it on occasion, and berated herself for her own hypocrisy.

She was still sitting silently on her bed when a giggling Kitty burst in to ask how her date with "that total hottie" had gone. Without a word, Elizabeth guided her sister out of her bedroom and shut the door behind her, wishing for what felt like the umpteenth time that her door had a lock.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*Rohypnol is a trade name for Flunitrazepam, a common "date rape drug". It causes temporary memory loss and drowsiness.

*MIP stands for Minor In Possession, and is a misdemeanor as far as I know (which is not particularly far).


	25. Chapter 25

_Sorry, this chapter is much shorter than the last one, but that letter was pretty long!_

_Thanks again to everybody who reviewed, it does encourage me to keep writing._

**Chapter 25**

_Thursday 1 February 2001 – Friday 2 February 2001_

Several re-readings of the letter and less than two weeks later, Elizabeth found herself on Darcy's turf when she arrived in Chicago for an interview with Pemberley International. She grabbed her backpack and garment bag from the seat next to her, and left the train, looking around for her aunt.

Madeline Gardiner picked Elizabeth up at the train station on Thursday evening, and drove her to their townhouse where two little boys were standing on the front lawn, bundled up against the cold and jumping up and down.

"Lizzy! Lizzy!" They both cried in delight. She knelt down with open arms and they both ran towards her. From her squatting position, Elizabeth's balance was precarious, and she was wary of the danger that she might fall backwards. The love she felt while embracing the wriggling little bodies did her a world of good and was more than worth the risk of being toppled into a snowdrift.

Edward Gardiner stepped forward to rescue his niece, but found there was no need, she scooped up the giggling children, one in each arm, as she stood. Instead, he went to the family SUV and collected her small amount of luggage to take inside.

Once they were all inside the warm kitchen, Mrs. Gardiner went about making hot cocoa and Elizabeth expressed how delighted she was, both to be visiting them and to be a candidate for a prestigious internship at Pemberley.

"I know I don't have it yet, but this is a good first step." She had confided in her aunt her entire history with Darcy and her doubts regarding working for him, but none of the rest of the family knew, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Elizabeth spent that evening delighting in the company of her little cousins and trying not to think about the class she would be missing on Friday. Fortunately, two rambunctious little boys kept her too busy to worry about anything that might happen the next day at her interview.

-o-o-o-o-

Friday afternoon found Elizabeth standing near the front door of Pemberley International. Her interview was not for almost twenty minutes and she was worried that arriving too early would seem desperate.

"What the hell, it's not dating." She muttered to herself and made the decision to go inside. She approached the door at nearly the same time as a man approaching from the other side. Too distracted to look up, Elizabeth muttered a "thank you" as she preceded him into the lobby only to be stopped by the man's surprised and familiar voice.

"Elizabeth?"

She turned around to look into the eyes of the man she had been dreading seeing. "Darcy, hi" was all she could come up with before her voice left her.

"What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth's power of speech quickly returned with a vengeance. "I have an interview, I didn't think I would see you. I mean, it's not that I didn't want to see you, I just didn't expect it. Richard said you don't really involve yourself with temporary stuff like interns, which is what I'll be if they hire me, so I didn't think there would be any problem with me being here." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, then continued more calmly. "I have an interview at two o'clock with Mr. Dunlop."

"Don't let me keep you, although I doubt that Mike is running on time. He is a very friendly man and interviews always take longer than he thinks they will. Regardless, I can show you the way and introduce you if you would like."

"No! I mean: no, thank you. I'd rather not mention that we've met before. I don't want anyone to think I'm getting preferential treatment."

"Alright, Abby can tell you where to go." He indicated the receptionist with a wave of his hand. "I can put in a good word for you later with Mike."

"No thanks, really. It's not just the appearance of nepotism I'm trying to avoid here. I'd really rather you just pretend you didn't see me here and let me get hired or rejected based on my own merits." Seeing his face fall slightly, Elizabeth pressed on. "I'm glad I ran into you though; there is something I need to say to you. I'm sorry."

Darcy's face registered pure astonishment at her apology. "You read my letter, then."

"Yeah, although I waited a little too long to do it. I actually want to talk to you about it if that's okay, but I have that interview now."

"Of course, I shouldn't keep you. Perhaps we could have dinner this evening."

"I'm staying with my aunt and uncle, and my little cousins are expecting me home." Elizabeth was surprised at how disappointed she was to turn him down.

"Bring them, the children too. I would like to meet your family in town. My housekeeper can easily accommodate a small crowd for dinner. I would love for you to meet my sister." Darcy was more nervous than he could remember being. He had to force himself to breathe as he awaited her reply.

"That would be nice, but I can't speak for my aunt and uncle."

"Perhaps tomorrow would be better. Let me give you my cell phone number." Darcy internally berated himself for allowing his eagerness to show. "You can let me know after you discuss it with your family." He took a business card from his pocket and wrote his personal number on the back.

"Thank you," she said as she placed it in her purse, "I'll call after I talk to them."

"I look forward to it." He smiled, and Elizabeth realized that although she had seen him many times, she had rarely seen him happy. "Good luck at your interview," he added as she approached the reception desk to check in. He noticed that the woman at the desk looked at him oddly and made a mental note to ask for her confidentiality regarding what she had witnessed. Elizabeth was right, it would not do for her to either win or lose a position at Pemberley based on her acquaintance with him.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth decided that the timing her run-in with Darcy had been fortuitous; it had kept her from fretting right before her interview, then the interview kept her busy and not over analyzing their encounter immediately afterward.

She left the Pemberley International building and took the train back to Wrigleyville where she was welcomed by an adoring duo who kept her attention focused on a game of hide and go seek until her uncle arrived home from work early in the evening.

Elizabeth told the boys to play with each other for a moment while she went into the kitchen to talk to their parents. She told them an abbreviated version of her run-in with Darcy that day and asked if they would like to meet him over dinner on Saturday.

"We'd have to get a babysitter, and it's kind of short notice." Madeline worried, looking toward the living room where her sons were chasing each other around in circles.

"He said they're invited too. I mean, I don't know if you guys want to go at all, I can always call and decline, but don't let the kids stop you if you do want to go." She paused for a moment, then looked her aunt in the eyes. "I would really like you to meet him.

"Of course," Madeline agreed without even looking at her husband, "but we should have dinner early so that I can get the kids home before too late. Do you think six would be alright?"

"I'll call him now." Elizabeth smiled and went off to make her phone call while her aunt headed off to calm down her children. Edward Gardiner was left standing in the kitchen unsure of why he had needed to be consulted at all.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth sat at the desk in her uncle's study fiddling nervously with Darcy's business card as she waited for him to pick up the phone. She laughed at herself for needing privacy to make the call, but was glad that the door was closed against any pint sized intruders.

"Hello?" The deep voice that answered the phone startled her out of her brief reverie.

"Hi, Darcy?"

"Yes."

"It's Elizabeth Bennet." She stated, then cursed herself for her awkwardness. Did she really need to give her last name? She doubted that he was expecting calls from more than one Elizabeth that evening.

"Elizabeth, I am glad to hear from you. Are you free for dinner tomorrow; your family, I mean?"

She smiled, it sounded like he was a little nervous too, which put her oddly at ease. "Yes, my cousins are pretty young, so my aunt wants to get them home early though. Would six o'clock be too early for dinner?"

"Of course not, you ought to come around five thirty then. Do you need directions?"

"The address should be enough, my uncle knows the area pretty well."

He gave her an address in Evanston, which she wrote down and read back to him, after which there was an uncomfortable pause.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Elizabeth broke the silence.

"I am looking forward to it." He replied, sounding genuine.

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Elizabeth sat for a moment thinking about the day ahead of her before she went back to the living room to join her cousins at their play.


	26. Chapter 26

_It was so nice to read all of the reviews you guys left for me, thank you! Please, keep it up, it encourages me to continue writing.  
_

**Chapter 26**

_Saturday 3 February 2001_

Elizabeth walked with the Gardiner family to the front porch of the Darcys' massive house on Saturday evening. She had changed her clothes three times that afternoon, enough to try on every outfit she had brought on her short trip. She found her own behavior quite disconcerting, as it was unlike her to be so nervous about anything, much less a guy. She felt the small hand wrapped in hers give a squeeze, which she decided to interpret as reassurance and not the more likely random wiggling of a five year old. When they reached their destination, Elizabeth found herself standing alone, as Doug had broken free to ring the doorbell.

A friendly looking woman with gray hair swept up into a neat bun answered the door. "Hello, you must be Miss Bennet and the Gardiner family, come in." She took their coats and led them around the corner towards a very proper looking living room with off-white carpeting. It was immediately evident that no small children had played there for some time.

"We should probably take our shoes off, it's a little muddy outside." Elizabeth held out her arm to keep her cousin from bringing shoe-fulls of dirt into the immaculate room.

"Whatever makes you comfortable." She heard Darcy's voice for the first time that day as he rose from an armchair to greet them. "Georgie should be up in a minute, she's been looking forward to meeting you."

"Thanks, I think I'd feel best if we weren't tracking dirt all over everything." Elizabeth slipped off her own shoes, then knelt to help each of her cousins in turn with theirs. By the time they were all standing in their stocking feet, there was a teenager emerging from a doorway nearby.

Their host immediately began introductions. "This is my sister Georgiana, and our housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds," he addressed the Gardiner family, then faced his own as he continued, "This is Elizabeth Bennet, whom I met in Michigan, and her family . . ." He trailed off while looking at Elizabeth expectantly.

Knowing this to be her cue, she performed her own introductions. "My Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed;" Darcy shook each one's hand politely and Georgiana smiled shyly from behind a curtain of light brown hair which she had let fall in front of her face. Elizabeth then gently pushed her cousins forward as she gave their names. "The big one is Doug, and the little one is Steve."

"I's big now too!" The latter insisted.

The interjection earned him a kiss from his mother who picked him up easily. "Of course you are, Sweetheart." She put him back down before he could protest.

"It's nice to meet you all." A soft voice came from behind Darcy.

Elizabeth tried to look at Georgiana, and noticed how intensely shy she seemed. It was not even the type of shy that could be mistaken for a stuck-up attitude, she was clearly petrified of new people.

"Georgie, would you like to show the boys what you have been up to downstairs?"

The girl nodded and held out her hands for the Gardiner children to take. After getting the go ahead from their mother, both boys happily accompanied her to the basement.

"She's shy around strangers, but I assure you that she is excellent with children." Darcy looked fondly after his sister and her new little friends. "She has been so excited ever since I told her they were coming. I think that she took every pillow in the house down there this afternoon, she plans to build a fort."

"They'll love that." Elizabeth smiled.

"What can I get you all to drink?" Mrs. Reynolds asked as the now adult party moved into the living room.

"White wine for me please." Darcy answered, then looked expectantly at his guests.

"Me too I guess, thanks." Elizabeth said, unsure of what else to request.

"I would love a glass of water, thank you." Mrs. Gardiner responded gratefully.

"We have a fairly full bar here, and don't let the flowered apron fool you, I am an excellent bartender." The housekeeper offered when Mr. Gardiner hesitated.

He laughed at the offer, and made his selection. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm a simple man and I think I'll just have whatever beer you have on hand."

Mrs. Reynolds smiled and nodded in response, then brought their drinks quickly before returning to the kitchen to finish dinner.

Darcy asked how Elizabeth's interview had gone the previous day, and reassured her that he would have nothing to do with the decision of whom to hire for the available internship positions. He then politely asked her relatives about themselves, as he knew very little. Caroline Bingley had told him that the Bennet girls had an uncle in Chicago who worked at a factory, but the gentleman in his living room hardly seemed like a laborer, so Darcy was curious.

Caroline had not invented his place of employment, but she had either misunderstood or lied about his position there. Darcy was pleased to learn that Mr. Gardiner had a degree in engineering and owned a factory that made auto parts of his own design. He was a self-made man living the American dream, certainly nobody at whom Caroline should sneer. Mrs. Gardiner turned out to be as well-educated as her husband, but was working only part-time as a computer programmer in order to have time to spend with her children.

Mrs. Reynolds entered the room to announce that dinner would be ready in five minutes to allow them time to collect the children.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy reached the bottom of the basement stairs first, and laughed aloud at the sight which greeted him. His sister, so withdrawn among her peers and adults, was crawling around on the floor and propping pillows up against the couch in order to make a fort. The boys who were helping in her endeavor were intermittently squealing with laughter and arguing about the placement of the walls.

Elizabeth smiled at the delighted sound coming from the man beside her. He seemed like a different person here, in his own home. He was more comfortable and open than he had ever been in Ann Arbor or New York. In fact, he looked genuinely happy, and he had been so personable that evening. She was more certain than ever that she had misjudged him; this was the real Fitzwilliam Darcy, a man she was pleased to know.

She was halfway to the sofa-fort when little Steve Gardiner saw his parents coming down the stairs. "Mommy!" He yelled, jumping up and down with glee.

His exclamation must have startled his mother, because she slipped on the stairs a few steps from the bottom and crashed to the floor.

"Maddie!" Her husband called out as he reached for her, but she was too far away for him to stop her fall.

Instantly, Mrs. Gardiner was surrounded by people trying to help her up, but she did not want to stand just yet, she was clutching her abdomen, her eyes closed in fear.

"Are you having any pain?" Mr. Gardiner asked, his brow knit with concern.

"I – I think I'm okay. Just my ankle hurts right now. Could you show me where the bathroom is?" She directed her question to their host.

"Of course." Darcy gestured toward the nearest door, and Mr. Gardiner slowly helped his wife stand and limp to the bathroom.

After the door closed behind her, there was silence for a moment before Doug Gardiner ran to his father and tugged on his pants to get his attention. "Is Mommy gonna be okay?"

"Of course she is, Buddy." Mr. Gardiner replied, with a reassuring pat to the boy's head.

"What about Mommy's baby?" He asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Suddenly, the family's reactions made sense to the Darcys. Although Darcy had not wanted to say anything, he was wondering why everyone was reacting so extremely to a woman falling barely three steps down. It had not occurred to him that she was pregnant, she was wearing a loose shirt , and did not appear to be showing at all as far as he could tell, although he had no knowledge of her previous figure.

Georgiana's hands flew to her mouth in horror as it occurred to her what might have happened to their guest. Before she had too much time to think about it, the woman in question emerged from the powder room.

"Ed honey, I think we should go to the hospital." She was trying not to alarm anybody, especially her children, but the fear was evident in her voice and face. "I'm sorry to ruin your dinner party." She addressed the host with a wan smile.

"We shall have to reschedule." Darcy tried to smile back, but found himself unable given the circumstance. "Would you like me to call for an ambulance?"

"No, thank you, we should be fine. Lizzy, can you get the kids together?"

"Of course." Elizabeth went to collect her cousins, the younger of whom had hidden in the fort to cry after his mother fell down.

"They can stay here." Darcy offered suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Gardiner was not sure he had heard correctly.

"It will be faster for you to go alone to the hospital. Elizabeth and the boys can have dinner with us here, then I can drive them home this evening. It would give you one less thing about which to worry."

"I think that's a good idea." Mrs. Gardiner said from her husband's arms where she had just been hoisted.

"Wait," Darcy said, as Mr. Gardiner was about to mount the stairs with his wife, "we have an elevator." He stepped forward to push the button

"Thank you." The couple stepped inside with Darcy, and the rest of the party trudged up the stairs to meet them at the main floor.


	27. Chapter 27

_I am sorry, I probably should have made this one chapter together with the last, but since the subject matter changes dramatically, I thought it was best separated._

**Chapter 27**

_Saturday 3 February 2001 _(still)

Soon, the five people left in the party were having a quiet dinner of roast chicken with macaroni and cheese, there was even honey mustard for the kids' chicken. Elizabeth was impressed with the thoughtfulness of serving kid-friendly food that was palatable to adults, but was too concerned about her aunt to attempt to make conversation of any kind.

After dinner, Mrs. Reynolds said she could have dessert ready whenever they wanted it. Elizabeth wanted to refuse, but she knew that she would not be any more useful waiting at the Gardiners' house than she was waiting at the Darcys'. Besides, the boys seemed to perk up when the word "dessert" was mentioned, it was something that they rarely got at home.

The subdued group headed for the basement, where they watched a Disney movie from their fort while letting their food settle. Even Darcy sat on the floor surrounded by pillows. He looked longingly at Elizabeth, cuddling Doug in her lap, then fondly at Georgiana, who held Steve close, stroking his hair reassuringly.

Half an hour into the film, the telephone rang, and Darcy excused himself to answer it.

"Of course, I'll get her." He said into the phone, then carried it over to Elizabeth, who looked at him curiously, but took it.

She spoke a few quiet words, but mostly listened. He was relieved to see her smile before bidding her goodbyes.

"Can you pause it for a minute?" She asked him. When the cartoon animals had been silenced, Elizabeth addressed the little boys.

"That was Daddy on the phone, he said Mommy and the baby are going to be fine, they just had a little scare."

"Can we go see them now?" Doug asked.

"Not yet Sweetheart, Mommy has to stay at the hospital tonight, just to be safe. You'll see her tomorrow. How about we have dessert now?"

"Izza baby born?" Steve asked.

"Not for a few months yet." Elizabeth smiled and held out her arms for a hug, the toddler leapt off Georgiana's lap, and ran into them.

After a moment, he raised his head and looked his cousin in the eyes. "Dessert?" was all he had to say.

"That sounds nice, what do you guys think?" She addressed the room.

"I think Mrs. Reynolds has something special planned for you guys." Georgiana said. It was the first time she had spoken since Mrs. Gardiner's fall. She took the phone from where Elizabeth had put it down, and pressed a few buttons.

"Hi Mrs. Reynolds, we're ready for dessert."

"Give me five minutes." The telephone-cum-intercom announced.

-o-o-o-o-

They watched a few more minutes of the movie, then headed up the stairs. Georgiana led them into the kitchen instead of the dining room, where they were met by a sundae bar that had been set up on the island counter. The boys squealed in delight and ran toward the bounty before them.

As she built one sundae after another, Elizabeth reflected that it was probably for the best that the children were too short to reach the counter, if they had put their own desserts together, the poor housekeeper would be cleaning up sprinkles for a week.

"I'm sorry about the mess." She said to Darcy, then cringed as she heard more sprinkles hit the floor.

"Do not worry about it. Mrs. Reynolds chose not to serve dessert in the formal dining room for exactly this reason." He smiled and despite herself, Elizabeth felt a blush creep across her cheeks. He was so handsome when he smiled. How had she never noticed before that he had dimples? She had always been such a sucker for dimples. It occurred to her that if she had known that in December, she might not have turned him down. She chastised herself for the thought, when it occurred to her how superficial she sounded in her own head.

While the boys dug into their sundaes and talking to Georgiana, Elizabeth and Darcy finally got a chance to talk alone. As delightful as their conversation was, it did not last very long, and soon the Gardiner children were licking their bowls and yawning.

"I guess it's time we get them home to bed." Elizabeth looked at her watch and was surprised by the time. "I should probably clean them up first though."

Georgiana dampened two washcloths with warm water, and she and Elizabeth each wiped the face and hands of a little boy, then they went to the front hall to get them into their shoes and Mrs. Reynolds appeared to fetch their coats from the closet.

"Thank you for a wonderful dinner." Elizabeth said to the housekeeper and both Darcys. I know my cousins had a lot of fun. She addressed Georgiana in particular; "You've made a couple of lifelong friends I think."

"I had a lot of fun too." She looked at the boys fondly, then her expression turned more serious and her voice more quiet as she turned her eyes to Elizabeth. "I am so sorry about what happened to your aunt, I got them so wound up, and we were in the basement - "

"Stop." Elizabeth said gently. She could not bear to hear the nervous teenager blame herself for Mrs. Gardiner's accident. "It was in no way your fault, you're great with the kids. What happened was a total accident. Anyway, she's going to be fine." After a brief moment of deliberation, Elizabeth stepped forward and hugged the shy girl. "It was really great to meet you, thanks for being such a good babysitter tonight. I never get to be a grownup when I'm around these little scamps."

Georgiana smiled and whispered "You're welcome" before turning and disappearing up the stairs. Elizabeth thought she saw a tear in the girl's eye.

She looked worriedly at Darcy, but he only smiled at her and held out her coat to help her into it. The foursome that was left then went back toward the kitchen in order to enter the garage.

He ushered them into a brand-new looking black Escalade that Elizabeth thought was probably the nicest car in which she had ever ridden. She said a silent prayer that neither of her cousins would get carsick on the leather interior. The children were chatting happily in the back, raving about their new friend, Georgie.

"Your sister is great with children." Elizabeth attempted to have some grown-up conversation.

"She is, I cannot take her anywhere where she doesn't end up playing peek-a-boo with some baby." He smiled briefly. "I just wish she was as comfortable around her peers, she has always been a bit of a loner. Then she had those friends last summer . . . "

"She just needs to find people with common interests. You mentioned that she plays the piano and sings, maybe she could get involved with music at her school. I made some great friends in high school doing musical theater."

Darcy looked deep in thought for a moment. "I believe that there was a mention in the school newsletter about upcoming auditions. I believe they are putting on 'The Fantasticks' this year. She has always been nervous about performing in public though. She is not like you."

"A show-off you mean?" They smiled at each other briefly, and Darcy knew she had not taken his comment the wrong way. "The pit orchestra might be perfect for her then, she can be a part of the show, but nobody can see her."

"I will suggest it, thank you."

Elizabeth did not respond, she was already singing softly to herself.

_Try to remember the kind of September_

_when life was slow and oh, so mellow._

_Try to remember the kind of September_

_when grass was green and grain was yellow._

_Try to remember the kind of September_

_when you were a tender and callow fellow,_

_Try to remember and if you remember then follow._*

The children in the backseat stopped chattering and began to nod off listening to her soothing voice. The music had the opposite effect on Darcy, it reminded him of everything he liked about her, and caused him to rethink the promise he had made to himself not to make any moves on her that night.

-o-o-o-o-

It did not seem like very long before they pulled up to the Gardiner townhouse. To Darcy's disappointment, Elizabeth opened her own car door before he had a chance to do it for her, so he settled for helping her by unbuckling and lifting one of the drowsy children from the backseat.

They carried the children inside and Elizabeth only removed their shoes and coats before putting them to bed fully clothed.

"They've had a big day," she reasoned, "they won't mind not wearing jammies for one night."

Darcy resisted the urge to ask Elizabeth about her own "jammies", although for a several moments, he could think of nothing but her sleeping attire. He followed her back downstairs, and they stood in the hallway between the kitchen and front door for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

"Thank you for dinner and driving us home, thanks for everything really."

"It was nothing, well that's not exactly true, but it was certainly no imposition. I am sorry your aunt got hurt, I was glad to hear that it was nothing serious."

"Thanks for that too."

Darcy looked at her curiously.

"I mean for thinking to give Uncle Ed your phone number. It would have killed me to not know what was going on."

"Of course," was all he could think of to say.

Elizabeth stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight," she said softly.

Darcy was speechless at the gesture. Then, he gathered his courage and returned it, aiming for her lips instead of her cheek. It was just as gentle a peck, nothing more than his lips brushing against hers. "Goodnight," he whispered and turned to go.

"Wait," she called after him as he approached the door, "would you like some hot chocolate?"

"I would love some, thank you." He turned back around and smiled at her as the two of them headed for the kitchen together.

As Elizabeth reached for the cocoa mix in the cupboard, she noticed a light flashing on the telephone.

"I should probably check the messages," she noted to Darcy, "my uncle might have called here with an update."

She took the canister of chocolate powder and pressed the 'play' button, heading toward the refrigerator for milk as she listened to the messages. She was pleasantly surprised to hear her older sister's voice come out of the machine as she grabbed two mugs from the their cabinet.

"Hi, this message is for Lizzy, I mean hi to everyone of course, but I need Lizzy to call me back tonight please." There was a brief pause. "This is Jane by the way."

Elizabeth smiled at her sister's need to identify herself; as if she had not heard that voice nearly every day for over twenty-one years. She did wonder what was so urgent that it required a phone call the day before she was to return. She listened to the machine give a time forty minutes after the first message, then Jane's voice sounded through the kitchen again.

"Hi Lizzy, it's me again. I know I should probably tell you this in person, but you really need to know and I guess Uncle Ed and Aunt Maddie should too. It's Lydia, she ran away. She was spending the night at the Forsters' house, then she didn't come home today. Harriet said that Lydia was tired of school and had figured out a way not to have to go anymore. We've been looking for her all afternoon. Kitty knew something, but wouldn't share it until just a minute ago." Elizabeth could hear her sister take a deep breath before going on. "She says that Lydia's getting married. Apparently she found out that you can get married as a minor in some states if you're pregnant, she thinks they may have gone to Georgia. Kitty swears she's not sure whether Lydia's really pregnant or if she's lying about it, but either way we need to find her. I think Harriet knows who she went with but she won't say. Please call me back as soon as -" There was a beep as the machine cut Jane off in mid-sentence.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth was still holding one of the mugs when the surprise took an unpleasant turn, and it fell to the floor causing ceramic shards to scatter as she grabbed for the counter to support herself. In an instant, Darcy was beside her offering her support as he led her to a chair.

"I'd better call Jane back," she managed to choke out.

Darcy brought her the cordless phone and stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Elizabeth looked at him oddly, she fully expected him to leave at any moment, but he made no move to do so. Instead, his hand migrated to her upper back, where it drew soothing circles as she dialed her home phone number. Once Elizabeth was talking, he busied himself cleaning up the shattered mug and doing his best not to eavesdrop on her conversation.

Jane answered the telephone at the Bennet household. It appeared that nobody else was in a frame of mind to communicate at the moment. The conversation was brief, and Elizabeth mostly listened. After a few moments, she burst into hysterical tears and dropped the phone. By the time Darcy retrieved it, Jane had hung up on her end.

"Elizabeth, what is it?" He knelt on the kitchen floor facing her. He tried to hold her hands in his, but she kept yanking them away to swipe at her face. After bringing her a box of tissues from the counter, he posed his question again, by that time she had calmed down enough to respond.

"It's my fault," she hiccuped through her tears. "She wouldn't even know him if it wasn't for me. I introduced them, I even dated him. Oh my God, I wonder how long this has been going on!" Elizabeth leaned forward until her head was resting gently on Darcy's shoulder. He tenderly wrapped his arms around her and felt the shuddering her body was still experiencing as she continued to cry in despair. "He's definitely not taking her to get married, that would just prove the whole statutory thing, so who knows where they are, really?"

He patted her back gently, then after a moment of silent sobs, tried to encourage her to continue. "They know with whom she went?"

Elizabeth sat up enough to look him in the eye, and whispered "George Wickham."

Darcy stood up abruptly, and after making sure she was settled in her chair, took a step backward. "I ought to go. I am sure that Lydia will turn up, run-away teenagers often do. I will talk to you later." Then he was gone from the kitchen. An instant later, Elizabeth heard the front door close and a car start out front. She went to the door and locked it before collapsing on the floor in tears of guilt. She was also angry at Darcy for leaving so abruptly, but she supposed this was not a crisis of which he was a part. Besides, he was unlikely to want to be anywhere near someone who had as many ties to Wickham as she did.

Somehow she made it upstairs and into the guest room before falling into a fitful sleep.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* _Try to Remember_ is a song from the 1960 musical "The Fantasticks", music by Harvey Schmidt, lyrics by Tom Jones


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

_Sunday 4 February 2001_

Elizabeth had been awake for less than an hour, when she heard a key turning in the lock. She rose from the kitchen table where her cousins were eating cereal, and saw her uncle coming in the door.

"Where's Aunt Maddie?"

"She won't be released until this afternoon, but I knew your train was before that, so I came to take you to the station." He saw the intensely worried look on his niece's face. "Don't worry, she's just fine, the doctor gave her a clean bill of health, she just can't get discharged until the afternoon due to some paperwork."

Elizabeth considered telling her uncle about Lydia's disappearance, but decided not to add to his worries for the moment. "I'm glad to hear that everything's okay," she said, then excused herself to get dressed.

Some time later, she came back down the stairs with her suitcase in tow, and was met by a very concerned uncle.

"I listened to the messages Lizzy, why didn't you tell me?"

"I can't believe I forgot to delete them. Well, I guess I can believe it, I was pretty distracted last night."

"Why would you delete Jane's message, were you planning on keeping Lydia's disappearance a secret for some reason?"

"No, I just didn't want you to worry, not with all you have going on right now."

"I never have too much going on to care about my nieces, now tell me everything."

Elizabeth explained the situation, including the identity of Lydia's intended groom. Mr. Gardiner agreed that it was highly improbable that any state would let a grown man marry an underage girl and Wickham must know that.

"The worst part is that Darcy was here, and when I told him everything he stormed off. He must really hate me now."

"That seems unlikely, especially given the way he was looking at you last night. Maybe he just thought you needed space."

"Thanks Uncle Ed, but there was definitely something else going on. I bet it was the revelation that I dated the bastard."

"I suppose anything is possible, but he didn't strike me as the type to change his mind over something so trivial."

Elizabeth thought to herself that the subject of Wickham was anything but trivial in Darcy's life, but decided not to say anything in order to guard the man's privacy. Although she was disappointed in him for leaving, she was not angry, she felt that he was a good man and was determined to earn the trust he had placed in her by pouring his heart out in his letter.

-o-o-o-o-

The three male Gardiners accompanied Elizabeth to the train station and gave her lingering goodbye hugs. The two little ones eagerly accepted the promise that she would see them again soon, especially if she got the job for which she had interviewed. She had nearly forgotten about Pemberley International in all the excitement of Saturday. Her uncle extracted a different promise, that she would call if there was anything he could do to help with the Lydia situation. Although she thought it was unlikely that he could provide any assistance, she agreed.

The entire train ride home was filled with horrible thoughts about Lydia's fate. The book Elizabeth had brought with her went untouched.

-o-o-o-o-

It was Dr. Bennet who picked up his daughter from the train station. They hugged perfunctorily, then spent most of the drive in silence. Her few questions about her youngest sister's situation were rebuffed with monosyllabic replies. They stopped briefly to get Chinese take out for dinner, which hardly surprised Elizabeth, she doubted anyone in the house would feel much like cooking given the current situation.

When they arrived at home, that was eerily quiet as well. Kitty had been confined to her room as punishment for her secrecy, and Mary was sitting in silence with her arm around Mrs. Bennet, who was seated on the sofa and staring blankly at a muted infomercial on the television. Jane had taken the cordless telephone behind the closed door of her bedroom and was calling all of the friends Lydia had listed in her phone book in case any of them had some insight into her whereabouts.

The rest of the evening was spent in a similar manner. The usually noisy Bennet family ate their dinner together in near silence, with only the occasional request for a dish to be passed breaking through. Eventually, Elizabeth tired of the charade.

"Are we ever going to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room?"

Nobody replied, although Jane opened her mouth a bit as if she wanted to say something before she closed it and looked down at her plate.

"I hope you've at least called the police. Aren't any of you concerned about the fact that Lydia's been kidnapped?"

"Of course we called the police," her father retorted, "they are looking for her, but the circumstances are not sufficient for an Amber Alert* and they told us to keep trying to call her friends. Besides, she was not kidnapped, she ran away of her own volition."

"Did you call the police back once you found out with whom she went?" Elizabeth rose from her seat in anger. "She's a minor, so I'm pretty sure it's kidnapping if they've left the state whether she wanted to go or not, plus there was obviously some statutory rape going on there. My God, I hoped just once you'd show some emotion, but you don't actually care about anything do you?"

As Elizabeth stormed out of the room and up the stairs, she could hear her mother burst into tears and Mary's voice attempting to soothe her. A few minutes after she slammed the door of her bedroom, she heard a tentative knock.

"Come in, Jane." Only one person would dare approach Elizabeth when she was in such a mood.

"It's been hard around here you know." Jane's soft voice pointed out. "Mom was hysterical for hours, and Dad just sat in his study staring at the wall."

"Of course they did. Don't you see Jane, that's the whole problem around here. Mom overreacts to everything, and Dad doesn't react at all. Oh my God, we are dysfunctional!" She said the last part as a sort of realization, and it was like a puzzle piece snapping into place. Her father was demonstrating the emotional detachment of which Darcy had written. For years she had failed to see how he retreated to his study or even to his office on campus when things became too real. Since she had always had a good relationship with her father, one based on similar tastes in books and intelligent conversation, she had hardly noticed the neglectful way in which he dealt with her other sisters. Her thoughts then turned to her mother's hysteria and how it never helped with anything, yet the woman would not desist.

As Jane's arms wrapped around her in a soothing manner, Elizabeth could not help but wish they were Darcy's. She wondered when she had become so attached to the man, and sighed heavily as she realized she was unlikely to ever feel that sort of thing from him again. The way he had stormed out of the Gardiners' house upon hearing that she had dated Wickham suggested that she would not see him anymore. She started to want the Pemberley internship for one more reason than she had before the incident.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*An Amber Alert is a bulletin issued for a missing child who is known to be in danger.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

_Tuesday 6 February 2001_

Elizabeth had been back in Ann Arbor for almost two days. Nearly every minute she spent at home was deathly silent. She had begun to miss the noise that she used to complain about all the time at home.

She had returned from class and was sitting on her bed doing homework early that afternoon when the telephone rang. As she was the only person in the house aside from her nearly catatonic mother, Elizabeth knew she would have to answer it.

"Hello?" She both hoped for and dreaded news about Lydia.

"Lizzy, I have good news."

"Aunt Maddie, it's good to hear from you, what's up?" She tried to force a lightness she did not feel into her tone.

"Lydia's here."

Elizabeth nearly dropped the phone.

"Lizzy, are you there?"

"Did you say Lydia's there, she's safe? Oh, thank God! Where did you find her? May I talk to her?"

"She came to Chicago when she ran off, she's fine. Ed is driving her home now. You should see them in five to eight hours depending on traffic.

"Do you know what happened, why she came to see you?"

"I don't know much. She won't really talk about much, but I think Lydia is actually quite impatient to get home. Please tell everybody the good news."

"Of course, thank you so much. Give my love to the boys."

"I will. Take care honey."

"Bye."

Elizabeth put the phone down and let out a whoop of joy. She ran down the stairs to her parents' bedroom, which she barged into after barely knocking.

"Mom, I have the best news," she began. After announcing that Lydia had been found, the rest of Elizabeth's news was drowned out by her mother's newest bout of hysterical shrieking. She noticed that although her mother was happy, this noise did not sound much different than that which she made when sad. Amazingly, she only smiled and hugged her mother. Despite her idiosyncrasies, she loved the woman and would not trade her.

-o-o-o-o-

Lydia arrived home that evening, seemingly unscathed and as noisy as ever. Edward Gardiner gratefully accepted an invitation to spend the night at the Bennet household rather than turning immediately back around to return to Chicago and driving all night.

The family sat down to dinner, and the conversation was overwhelming. Everybody wanted to know what had happened with Lydia, but was afraid to ask point blank. The prodigal daughter, on the other hand, was happy to chatter pointlessly about all sorts of subjects without ever explaining to her family what they all wanted to know. Upon hearing that she would have to attend school the next day, she began to complain loudly.

"Ugh, I hate school! That's why I left in the first place. If I'd known I had to go right back, I wouldn't've listened to Darcy at all."

Elizabeth's head snapped around when she heard her sister's pronouncement. "Darcy? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Oops!" Lydia giggled. "I wasn't supposed to say anything, never mind." She then turned back toward Kitty, and began describing what an exciting place Chicago was for shopping. Elizabeth tried a few times to get her youngest sister to elaborate on Darcy's involvement, but was unsuccessful.

After dinner, she attempted to pry the same information out of her uncle, but was again rebuffed. Mr. Gardiner had hardly slept since Sunday and was badly in need of rest. Elizabeth knew that she could not let the issue go and decided to call her aunt.

-o-o-o-o-

She went to the second floor landing to get the cordless phone, and found her father arguing with Lydia.

"What do you mean I can't use the phone? I have to tell Harriet everything that happened!"

"You are grounded." Dr. Bennet replied in an even tone. "You may not use the telephone or computer. You may not go anywhere except for school until I decide that it has been long enough."

His tone was as firm Elizabeth had ever heard it.

"But Daddy, she'll be so mad if I don't call her right now. I should also call Laura and Tammy. Oh, Amy'll want to know about the thing . . ." Lydia had decided to ignore her father and was carrying the phone to her room as she began to dial.

"Lydia," Their father insisted impotently, "I said that you were grounded." Despite his words, he made no move to enforce his ruling. Elizabeth wished that she could be surprised at his lack of action, but she realized she was not. Perhaps Darcy had been right, her father was more than a bit detached; she could not remember the last time she had even seen him on this floor where all his daughters' bedrooms were. She wondered how his failings had escaped her for so long.

Looking from her disobedient sister to her disinterested father, Elizabeth made a decision. She marched forward and yanked the phone from Lydia's hands, pressing the end button to stop the ringing that she could hear on the other end.

"Lizzy! I was using that. My God, why do you always have to be such a bitch?" Lydia turned back toward her father, switching her facial expression from defiant to pleading. "Daddy, Lizzy took the phone from me, make her give it back!"

Dr. Bennet looked from one daughter to the other, then moved toward the stairs. "Goodnight, girls." He called behind him as he disappeared.

Lydia strode toward her sister, determined to take back the phone, but Elizabeth was too quick for her. She bypassed her bedroom in favor of the bathroom, which had a locking door. After assuring that Lydia could not barge in on her, Elizabeth lowered the lid of the toilet seat and sat down. She called the Gardiner house in Chicago and waited for her aunt to pick up the phone as she tried to ignore the constant pounding coming from the bathroom door.

"Hello?"

"Hi Aunt Maddie, it's Lizzy."

"Your uncle told me he reached there safely and is spending the night. Did he change his mind?"

"No, he's actually sleeping right now, I just had a question about Lydia."

"Is she the one making all that noise I hear?"

"Yeah, she wants to use the phone, but she's grounded. Anyway, I'm calling because of something she said . . . about Darcy."

"What did she say?" Mrs. Gardiner sounded alarmed and a bit defensive. "I don't know anything about that."

"Look, I know you're lying for two reasons. One, you're really bad at it; and two, Lydia mentioned him, then said she wasn't supposed to say anything. He knew about this whole situation and I have to know; what does he have to do with her return?"

"Okay, I'm not really supposed to tell you, but seeing as how you know some of it anyway, here goes: On Sunday afternoon, Darcy came by to ask us if he could do anything to help find Lydia. We told him that it was unlikely, since she'd probably gone south and we had no idea where to start looking. He was polite, but left quickly. I didn't see him again until Tuesday when he just showed up at the door with Lydia in tow. He was actually standing right here when I called you, but he asked me not to say anything to you about him. It wasn't until after Ed and Lydia had left that he told me what had happened."

When she heard her aunt hesitate, Elizabeth pleaded with her to go on. She needed to know everything that Darcy had done for Lydia.

"After he heard that she was with Wickham and pregnant, I guess he knew where to go, or at least whom to look for. Apparently Wickham's mother got remarried after his father died, and now she has a sister-in-law who's a doctor. Lydia told George she was pregnant so that he'd marry her and she could quit school. He must have known better than to think he could get away without being charged with statutory rape, and he knew she'd need parental consent to get an abortion at her age, so he brought her to someone he hoped would bypass the rules."

"He took her to get a back alley abortion?" Elizabeth was horrified.

"No, no; Dr. Younge works at Planned Parenthood*, it would have been perfectly safe, just not exactly documented."

It took a moment for Elizabeth to fully register her aunt's words. "Would have been? You mean it didn't happen, she's still pregnant?"

"No, I talked to her some today before your uncle got home. She was never actually pregnant in the first place. She really hates going to school and thought that if she got married, he would take care of her and she wouldn't have to go anymore. She cited your mother quitting school and getting married when she got pregnant with Jane as an example. Apparently the difference between high school and college is lost on Lydia." Mrs. Gardiner sounded irritated, but briskly changed her tone. "Anyway, Darcy went to see Wickham's mother, now a Mrs. Younge, on Sunday and ended up having to bribe her or something to get any information. Anyway, when he finally found out where Wickham was staying, he went and picked up Lydia immediately. She was perfectly willing to go with him after she heard her boyfriend's plan." The penultimate word dripped with disdain.

"And Wickham," Elizabeth could not help but ask. "What happened to him?"

"Darcy called the police, but the bastard ran off before they got there, now he's wanted for kidnapping. Any other charges will have to come later depending on what Lydia says in her statement."

"He didn't want me to know anything he did." It was a statement, not a question. "He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"He involved himself pretty heavily in your family's business for someone who doesn't want anything to do with you. No, I think he likes you quite a bit, Lizzy."

"Yeah, I'm sure he told you that."

"Well, no. He gave his reason for interfering as guilt over allowing Wickham to get away with crimes in the past, and while I'm sure he wasn't lying about that, I have my doubts that it was the driving influence behind his decision to get involved."

Elizabeth chose not to respond to her aunt's implied question as to the nature of her relationship with Darcy. "Thanks for the information Aunt Maddie. I should really ask how you're feeling. I've totally neglected you with all the excitement over Lydia."

Her aunt assured her that she was fine and that the incident on Saturday night had caused no lasting problems. The two conversed for some time on less serious subjects, when Elizabeth realized that the pounding on the bathroom door had ceased. After bidding her aunt goodnight, she unlocked and opened the door to find her youngest sister sleeping in the hallway on the other side, clearly exhausted from her ordeal and temper tantrum. Stepping over her to get out, Elizabeth hung up the phone and went to recruit Jane.

The two eldest Bennet sisters worked together to carry Lydia to the bedroom she shared with Kitty, grateful that she slept on the bottom bunk.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*Planned Parenthood is an organization which has health centers that perform safe, legal abortions in addition to other services related to STDs and contraceptives.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

_Monday 12 February 2001_

The next week moved slowly in the Bennet household. Lydia complained loudly that she could no longer see Wickham. She insisted that he had never kidnapped her and although they had not gone where she had expected, she had gone willingly. The subject of her fictional pregnancy was never mentioned. Elizabeth was unsure whether they all assumed she had had an abortion or whether they knew she had been lying from the start. Although the house was constantly full of noise and conversation, there was little of real importance discussed. The Bennets were a family that tended to avoid uncomfortable subjects. Consequently, Lydia went largely unpunished for her escapade.

Elizabeth learned, to her horror, that Lydia had been seeing Wickham since September. She could not believe that he would ask her out when dating her sister on the sly. Well, she supposed, perhaps she did believe it; the man was the epitome of scum after all. She did genuinely wonder how Lydia managed not to say anything upon hearing about her own date with the man last month, but she supposed that it did explain why the girl had not enthusiastically joined Kitty's rampant giggling about the pairing.

Things had gone more or less back to normal for the entire family by late Monday afternoon when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Kitty yelled, bounding toward the front door. A ringing doorbell almost always meant packages, Mrs. Bennet loved to shop from catalogs, and Kitty always wanted to open the boxes.

She threw the door open, looking toward the ground in anticipation, but all she saw were two sets of knees encased in suit pants.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, as her gaze traveled up to their faces. Although she recognized both gentlemen, she was at a loss for words, and simply stared for a moment until Elizabeth walked through the foyer.

"Don't stand there with the door open Kitty. Just pick up the package and bring it -oh!" She looked to the door and noticed that there was no delivery, only two men she had thought she might never see again standing on the snowy front porch. She quickly moved forward and took Kitty's place at the door.

"Darcy, Charles, come on in." She invited them warily.

Both men stomped their feet in an attempt to knock off as much snow as possible before stepping into the house.

"You can sit down in here," she gestured toward the family room. "Can I get either of you a drink?"

"I hope we are not intruding on your dinner time," Darcy stated in an apologetic tone.

"No, we won't eat for a little while yet, it's no problem." She was uncharacteristically nervous and took a deep breath to calm herself. Really, you don't have to stand by the door."

"Is Jane here?" Bingley asked, and at Elizabeth's positive response, he bent to remove his shoes. Darcy did the same and soon the two men were seated in the family room looking around uncomfortably as Elizabeth went to fetch her older sister.

-o-o-o-o-

"Jane, I need you to come downstairs right now."

"What?" The blond woman removed her headphones and looked up at her sister.

"Charles Bingley is here and he wants to see you."

"Do you think it's about work?"

"Of course not, if it was about work, he'd come see you at the office during business hours. He's in the family room looking all nervous and possibly at the mercy of our sisters, or worse, our mother. Let's go."

"Lizzy, I'm wearing sweatpants and no makeup." Jane had taken a shower since returning home from work. "I can't let him see me like this."

"It's you like this or mom like she always is."

"I'm coming."

When the sisters reached the room where the men were waiting, they were horrified to find their mother conversing happily.

"Charles my dear, it's been so long since we've seen you! There was talk that you'd never come back from Chicago. I wasn't worried though, I knew you could never abandon your office here for too long." She stressed the word 'office' as her eyes darted to Jane, who had just come down the stairs.

Mrs. Bennet was pointedly ignoring Darcy, who sat stiffly in an armchair and seemed pleased to be forgotten. He turned his head when Elizabeth joined them, and his eyes did not leave her even as he bade a polite hello to Jane.

Vague pleasantries were exchanged, and Bingley looked like he was about to burst with a comment of some sort, but was afraid to speak freely given the current audience.

"Don't you have to finish dinner?" Elizabeth asked her mother innocently.

"Oh yes, of course. Those vegetables won't chop themselves." She stood and addressed their guests. "Please excuse me." She turned back after a moment. "Of course you must stay for dinner, both of you." She added the last part with a somewhat begrudging look at Darcy, but Bingley took no notice, he merely agreed distractedly as he looked at Jane.

After Mrs. Bennet left the room, Elizabeth knew she had to find a way to leave Jane alone with her ex-boyfriend / boss. Fortunately, her mother's invitation had given her the opportunity.

"I need to get another chair from the basement since you guys are staying." She said to Darcy. "Will you help me with that?" Everyone in the room knew that she was perfectly capable of performing the task on her own, but was grateful for the excuse.

Elizabeth led Darcy silently downstairs and to the furnace room where the Bennets kept their rarely used items. There was a stack of folding chairs against one wall, and Elizabeth picked up one of them and started back toward the stairs before stopping. She leaned the chair against the wall and sat on the stairwell, looking expectantly at her partner in crime. Darcy looked from her eyes to the bare wooden stairs, and ran a hand hesitatingly over the fine wool of his suit pants. Elizabeth smiled a bit and offered a compromise. "You can sit on the chair."

"Thank you." Darcy unfolded the chair and sat down facing Elizabeth, who scooted back a step so that she was closer to his eye level. "I suppose we should talk."

"I guess that's better than the alternative, sitting here in silence while we give Jane and Charles some privacy." She hesitated for a moment. "Thank you for bringing him here."

"I did not do anything. At least nothing I should not have done already. I explained to him that I was mistaken about Jane's feelings and that they should make a decision together regarding their future. I believe that it was for the best, Bingley was elated at the prospect of seeing Jane again."

"Well, whatever you said to him, thanks." There was silence for a moment. "And thanks for finding Lydia, we had no idea where to even start looking."

"You're welcome. I just kept thinking of how upset you were, since you had introduced them when it was truly my fault for not telling anybody what kind of man he really is."

"It's not your fault, not at all, we probably wouldn't have believed you even if you had said something. I've been thinking about it, and it's not my fault either; it's Wickham's, and Lydia's of course, but she's young and not too bright. For all her faults though, I think she was taken advantage of in this situation."

Darcy looked as though he was about to respond, when Mrs. Bennet's voice bellowed from above. "Lizzy, you need to set the table!"

Elizabeth smiled at her companion. "Duty calls. Would you like to help me?"

He nodded in acquiescence and rose from the chair, refolding it to carry up the stairs.

-o-o-o-o-

Dinner was a little uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant. Bingley led the conversation with news of how his company was growing. Darcy mentioned proudly that his sister would be playing in the pit orchestra for her high school's upcoming musical production and noted that a decision would be reached, although not by him, regarding the internship positions at Pemberley by the end of the month.

The guests left immediately following dinner, and Elizabeth cornered her eldest sister as quickly as possible after their departure.

"What happened, are you guys back together?"

"That might take some time, but we have a start. Charles wants to have dinner and talk about us."

"So you're going out tomorrow night, that's great."

"No, that's my night to cook dinner, we're going out the night after."

"What? I'll make dinner Jane, you see Charles."

"No, thank you, Lizzy." Jane looked at her sister seriously. "It's good that I can't go tomorrow, it shows Charles that he's not the only thing in my life. I have other stuff going on."

"But Wednesday is Valentine's Day, you won't be able to get a reservation at this point."

Jane laughed. "That hadn't even occurred to me, I wonder if Charles thought of it. I guess we'll see. So tell me; what happened with you and Darcy? You two ran off to the basement for a bit there."

"Nothing." Elizabeth turned slightly pink at the thought. "We just wanted to give you guys some time to talk. He's perfectly polite and all, but I don't think he's interested in me anymore."

"That's too bad, just when you started to get interested in him." She teased.

The two women traded gentle barbs for a few minutes more before they decided it was time to get ready for bed.


	31. Chapter 31

_I am sorry, I know this is a particularly short chapter. I promise the next chapter (which I shall post soon) is longer and will have some Darcy-Lizzy interaction._

**Chapter 31**

_Wednesday 14 February 2001_

Jane was more nervous than she had expected about her dinner with Bingley, even though she swore it was not a date.

"We just have to talk about some stuff." She insisted to Mrs. Bennet, who was adjusting her daughter's bra straps in the attempt to display her breasts more prominently. "Stop that!" She stepped away from her mother and tried to shoo her out the door.

Fortunately, Kitty began wailing for some intervention, Lydia had apparently taken something of hers, and it drew Mrs. Bennet's attention elsewhere. Elizabeth joined Jane in their mother's stead, and sat benignly on the bed as her sister primped.

"So, do you know where he's taking you?"

"No, he just said he'd pick me up at six, so I need to be ready in – oh my God, ten minutes!" She hurriedly searched the room for her hairbrush, asking her sister if she had seen it and beginning to panic at the lateness of the hour.

"It's right there on your dresser where it belongs Jane. You don't need it anyway, your hair looks perfect, you look perfect."

Elizabeth rose and embraced her comfortingly, Jane's arms automatically hugged her sister in response. They held each other for a few moments until the sound of the doorbell caused them to spring apart.

"Remember to be totally honest about your feelings, even if – no, especially if you feel like he's been a jerk."

"Thanks Lizzy." Jane smiled at her sister and disappeared down the stairs.

-o-o-o-o-

Several hours later, Elizabeth was still awake when she heard a gentle creaking on the stairs. She quietly left her own room and intercepted her sister in the hallway, then joined Jane in her bedroom.

"I didn't hear a car in the driveway."

"He walked me home, we were at his house."

"Really?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"No. I mean yes, we were really there; but no, we didn't do anything. It's just that you were right about all the restaurants being booked, so we ordered in. It was better to talk in total privacy anyway."

"Darcy wasn't there?" Elizabeth could not tamp down her curiosity, and she knew that this was one sister who would understand, or at least not mock her.

"He went back to Chicago yesterday." Jane explained, and Elizabeth was surprised at the disappointment she felt. She had been so sure that it did not matter to her what Darcy did. Apparently, she was wrong.

Jane went on to describe the dinner in more detail than seemed necessary, and explained the decision she and Bingley had made together.

"I'm going to start looking for another job, but in the meantime I'll stay at this one and we'll keep quiet in the office about our relationship. When he's out of town, we'll try to talk on the phone a couple of times a week"

She explained that they had decided to take the relationship more slowly this time around, no more than two dates per week. They were naturally limited a bit by the demands on his time at the Chicago office and the fact that the Bennets only had one phone line. Unfortunately, Bingley was needed back in his main office for a meeting on Thursday afternoon, so the couple could not see each other again until the following weekend. Jane giggled like a teenage girl when Elizabeth asked how slowly they could be taking things if she was at his house so late into the evening.

"We were just talking!" Jane insisted with pink cheeks. "Okay fine, talking and kissing." She dissolved into laughter, and Elizabeth was delighted to see her sister so happy again, it had been months since she had heard Jane laugh in that manner.

-o-o-o-o-

Later that night, alone in her bedroom, Elizabeth thought about her relationship with Darcy, or lack thereof rather. He had expressed intense interest in her, then they had fought. She had thought he hated her then, but he wrote that letter. She groaned into her pillow in frustration. If only she had read the letter when Charlotte sent it. Why did she have to act like such a stubborn bitch? She asked herself the question over and over again.

Suddenly, the smiling, dimpled face in her imagination became a leering one as Darcy's features melted into Wickham's. She shook her head violently to try to rid herself of the image, but it was imprinted in her psyche. She would never be rid of the man. Two dates with the cad due to poor judgment on her part would keep her from ever finding out what it would have been like to be with Darcy. He seemed like such a genuine, sweet man under his haughty exterior.

Elizabeth rolled over again, and yanked a pillow down on top of her head, as if it could block out hateful images as it would ambient sounds. She concentrated on the most pleasant of her visions, and finally fell asleep, dreaming of Darcy.


	32. Chapter 32

_This should totally make up for the shortness of the last chapter. I may have to start posting a bit more slowly though, lest I run out of already-written chapters before I finish. Then the wait would be much longer. I am inspired to write sporadically (although reviews do encourage me). I will aim to still post at least once a week. Please keep reviewing!_

**Chapter 32**

_Saturday 24 February 2001 – Saturday 3 March 2001_

The next week and a half passed slowly for Jane, she could only talk to her boyfriend briefly every evening due to high demand for the Bennet family telephone. He had a business dinner on Friday night, and was planning to leave for Ann Arbor first thing on Saturday morning.

Elizabeth was looking forward to Saturday for a different reason. Her spring break had begun, and she was headed to Florida that morning. Jane had driven her to the airport partially to see her sister off, and partially to try making time go faster as she waited for Bingley's arrival.

Although the plane was filled with classmates on the way to party, Elizabeth had a different purpose in heading south. She rarely saw her Grandmother Bennet, who had moved to Miami after her husband's death. The older Mrs. Bennet did not like to travel, and frequent trips were too much of a financial burden on the seven member Bennet family in Michigan. As a Christmas gift that year, she had offered Elizabeth round-trip airfare, which was met with delight.

Elizabeth packed her carry-on heavily with activities. She brought novels, knitting, and homework in a fruitless attempt to stave off the unwelcome thoughts she was having about Darcy. She had neither seen nor spoken to him in ten days. Although she told herself that she did not expect any more advances from him, she could not help but hope that he would call or visit her. She looked forward to getting her grandmother's advice on the subject. They had been close when living in the same city and she trusted the older woman's opinion as much as her Aunt Maddie's. Although they talked nearly once a week, Elizabeth had not told her grandmother everything about her situation with Darcy, she resolved to do that now that they would see each other in person.

Elizabeth Kelly Bennet looked much more frail than she really was. She picked up her granddaughter at the airport, and gave her a brief driving tour of Miami en route to her condo. Once they arrived home, she prepared lunch while her namesake poured out her heart.

"It seems to me, Lizzy, that if he doesn't try to contact you, he's not worth the bother."

"I know Gram, I know it in theory, but I can't stop thinking about him, hoping that he'll call me if I just give him some time."

"Of course you can't, Honey." She hugged the young woman close. "Our brains and hearts rarely talk to each other like they should."

-o-o-o-o-

The next few days were spent happily. The two women had great fun together. They crammed their days full of movies, concerts, and walks along the beach. Elizabeth was glad that her grandmother seemed as hardy as ever. Her father would also be pleased with that report.

On Wednesday around noon, as they were looking through the newspaper for interesting events, there was a knock at the door.

A grey-topped head looked up from the paper. "Did you order lunch for us?"

"No, but I'll go see who it is."

"Look through the peephole first, you never know who may be out there."

"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth stood up and saluted.

Her grandmother smiled and went back to perusing the paper until she heard a sharp "oh!" a moment later.

"What's the matter, honey?"

"It's Darcy."

"It sounds to me like he's worth the bother then if he managed to track you way down here; open the door." She rose to stand behind Elizabeth in the hallway, as the door was opened to reveal a tall, handsome man. She could not help but think to herself that her granddaughter had understated his attractiveness when listing his features earlier in her visit. He stood politely, waiting for an invitation, and she decided that at first glance, he seemed good enough for her Lizzy, but she would have to get to know him in order to be sure.

"Hi." Elizabeth stared at him for a moment in disbelief. She wondered if her mind might be playing a trick on her since she had been thinking about him so much lately.

"Hello." He smiled at her, but made no move to step into the house.

"Won't you come in?" A voice came from behind Elizabeth and the older woman beckoned him forward. "I've heard so much about you."

"Really? I mean, thank you." He seemed pleased, and noticed Elizabeth's slight blush at her grandmother's statement. He stepped through the door and extended his hand to the tiny woman who had invited him in. You must know then that I am Darcy, you must be Mrs. Bennet."

"Please, call me Bess. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you, I am fine." He moved toward the living room where she led him and took a seat in an armchair.

Elizabeth sat on the sofa so that she could face him and looked expectantly at her grandmother, waiting for her to join them.

"It was nice to meet you, I have a few errands to run. I'll see you kids later." Before anyone could comment, she had her car keys and was out the door, leaving them alone to talk.

-o-o-o-o-

"Well, that was subtle." Elizabeth commented dryly.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to make your grandmother uncomfortable."

"I think it's Gram who's making us uncomfortable." She gave him a small smile to show that she did not mean it. "So, what brings you to Florida?"

"Well, I suppose I could say I had business interests here and decided to drop by, but that would be a lie and you know it. You probably also know that the real answer to that question is you."

"That seems a little egotistical of me to think. This is a long way from Chicago, why not just come see me in Ann Arbor, or call?"

"I did try the phone first. After the decision was made about the summer interns at Pemberley, I wanted to call to congratulate you personally, but as it is your spring break, you were not at home."

"I got the job?" Elizabeth was excited.

"I am sorry, I assumed that you had been told, letters went out on Friday, I called Tuesday because I assumed you would have received it by then."

"I've been here and for all my family's nosiness, I've never known them to open somebody else's mail. The letter's probably just sitting at my place at the table waiting for me. Thanks for telling me, it's great news." A thought briefly occurred to her. "You didn't have anything to do with it did you?"

He looked mildly offended. "You asked me not to involve myself."

"Of course, I'm sorry. You wouldn't break a promise, I know that much about you." She smiled apologetically. "Why did you decide to come all the way here though, you could have called my Grandmother's house, or left a message for me at home."

"I know, but I felt that I needed to talk to you in person. Not just about the internship, but about everything that has happened between us. Fortunately for me, Jane was very forthcoming with information as to your whereabouts."

"I guess she knew I'd want to talk to you too. How much time do you have?"

"I took three days off, but I don't wish to intrude on your time with your grandmother. Perhaps I should go."

"No! I mean, she obviously wants us to talk, the way she hightailed it out of here. I've told her everything."

"You told her what a jerk I was back in September and she still left?"

"Yeah, but I also told her what a great guy you've been recently." Elizabeth paused for a moment. "And how much I wanted to see you again."

The smile that lit up Darcy's face was brilliant, it made her smile in response and move to take his hand. They sat like that for a few moments until he suggested a walk.

They decided only to walk around the garden at the retirement community, and Elizabeth wrote her grandmother a note to that effect.

They held hands as they walked, but that was the extent of their physical intimacy. It seemed like an appropriate step to Elizabeth.

"Now that you will be living in Chicago, I thought that I would ask you out again. I understand if you still have objections to a relationship with me, but I would not be asking you to change anything about your life, except perhaps some of your evening plans."

"I'd like that, I really would, but I don't want everyone to think I got my internship by dating the boss. Maybe I shouldn't work at Pemberley."

Darcy stopped walking and turned toward her. When Elizabeth suggested that she would choose a relationship with him over her dream job at his firm, it was all he could do not to kiss her immediately, but he did not wish to push her away by going too fast. "I cannot let you do that. This internship means so much to you. We could be discreet or wait until September." He was less than pleased with the latter suggestion, but was willing to do whatever it took to be with her, even if it meant waiting.

She started walking again, and pulled him along gently. "We can try the long-distance thing until I graduate, then see where we are at that time. Discretion seems do-able as long as you don't interact with the interns much. We can talk about that again in May I guess. I'm just so glad that you still like me."

"I could not stop if I tried." Then, realizing that he might be conjuring up images of his New Year's proposition, he quickly backpedaled. "Not that I would consider trying. My fondness for you makes me a better man. Why would you think I might no longer like you?"

"Well, we haven't spoken in over two weeks, then like a week before that, and before that; well, you know what happened. Plus, the way you reacted when I mentioned dating Wickham, I thought you were going to throw up. I figured I kind of disgusted you then."

"No, he disgusted me, you could never -" He stopped abruptly and squeezed her hand more tightly as he collected his thoughts. "Nothing you tell me could change my feelings for you."

"I'm glad to hear that, but just in case you were worried, we only went on two dates and I never slept with him."

"I would like to pretend that I do not care about your relationship with him since it is over, but I must admit that I am quite relieved to hear that."

Elizabeth smiled and removed her hand from her companion's. He was disappointed at first, but pleased when she instead threaded her arm through his and nestled closer to his side. He took his free hand and placed it over her smaller one resting in the crook of his arm in an attempt to cultivate as much intimacy as possible without scaring her away. It seemed to be working; she leaned her head slightly against his shoulder as they made their way around the courtyard in companionable silence.

Halfway through their next lap, Darcy guided them to a halt and looked pointedly at one of the buildings.

"Isn't that your grandmother?"

The woman in question quickly ducked behind a curtain as Elizabeth looked in her direction.

"Yeah, I don't know who she thinks she's fooling by hiding, that's her condo. She's probably dying of curiosity. Let's go put her out of her misery." Elizabeth smiled and pulled Darcy toward the building.

-o-o-o-o-

Bess Bennet had indeed returned from her errand, and was bustling about the kitchen in an elaborately innocent manner when they came through the door. She had brought several takeout containers of Chinese Food, and was setting the table for three. Darcy graciously accepted her invitation to stay for lunch.

Although she asked no direct questions, the older woman made it clear that she wanted to know what had occurred in her absence. Elizabeth explained, to Darcy's embarrassment, their decision to take things slowly and reevaluate their relationship in May. At his stricken look, she only shrugged her shoulders and responded nonchalantly "I'm going to tell her everything later anyway, what's the point in hiding it from you. You already know what we discussed."

After discerning that they had no set plans for the afternoon, Darcy invited both women to spend the day with him. They went on a glass-bottom boat ride and saw a group of snorkelers nearby, both Bennet women expressed interest in trying it themselves, and he promised to take them the next day. If he was surprised at a seventy-year-old woman's enthusiasm for the activity, he hid it well.

After the boat ride, the three of them walked on the beach and shared pleasant conversation for some time before being treated to dinner by the gentleman.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday, when Darcy arrived to pick up the ladies for their snorkeling excursion, Bess insisted that she had had too much excitement the day before, and they ought to go on without her. Although fond of the energetic older woman, Darcy could not help but be grateful for her exhaustion, whether it was feigned or real. He very much wanted to spend the day alone with Elizabeth.

The two of them spent a romantic day together, laughing and talking. Darcy poured his heart out in a way that he never had before. He was constantly amazed at the way he felt about Elizabeth. He was attracted to her for sure, but there was something else about her that drew him in, something that made him want to confide in her, that made him feel like she could also be his best friend. When he confessed this to her, she only smiled and told him that was the way it was supposed to be.

That evening, when he dropped her off at her grandmother's condominium, he did not hesitate to kiss her goodnight. Her arms immediately went around his neck to pull him closer, which he took as an obviously positive sign. He deepened the kiss slowly, gently probing her mouth with his tongue and was delighted when she responded in kind, letting her hands wander up from his neck to tangle themselves in his wavy hair.

She pulled away first, drawing in large intakes of breath for a moment before commenting with a laugh, "I have to get some high heels before our next date. All this standing on my tippy-toes is hard on my feet."

He could not resist the urge to kiss her again for her statement, but was careful to bend down to her level before planting a firm, if brief, final peck on her lips.

-o-o-o-o-

Friday was Elizabeth's last full day in Florida, and she felt that she could not entirely abandon her grandmother again. Darcy took them both out to breakfast, but let them spend the afternoon together without him.

The next morning, Darcy showed up to offer Elizabeth a ride to the airport, and carried her bags to his rental car as she said an emotional goodbye to her grandmother, promising to call as soon as she reached Ann Arbor.

As they approached the airport, Elizabeth was surprised to see Darcy heading not toward the departures, but toward the rental car return. She realized he must be leaving town at the same time that she was, and expected to take a shuttle back to the airport. She soon realized that she was underestimating the way that the wealthy were treated. Instead, they were chauffeured by an attendant to the check-in counter for their airline.

Elizabeth approached the desk, wondering why Darcy was standing beside her and not checking in himself with another clerk. She handed her ticket over when asked, and was surprised to discover that she had been upgraded to first class.

"You did this." She accused her companion. "Thank you, but it wasn't necessary."

"It certainly was." He handed his ticket over as well. "I never fly coach."

Elizabeth looked at the boarding pass that he had just been handed, and noticed that he was on the same flight as she was, and in the next seat. "You're taking a detour through Detroit? That doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Of course it does, I want to spend as much time with you as possible."

They heard an "awww" from the woman behind the counter, which reminded them that they were not alone.

Darcy cleared his throat decisively and, toting Elizabeth's backpack in addition to his own carry-on, headed toward the security line.

-o-o-o-o-

The flight home was far better for Elizabeth than the flight there had been. Not only did she have a more comfortable seat, but also the very welcome presence of the real Darcy kept her previously unwelcome thoughts from bothering her. Their relationship had been resolved to, at least, her temporary satisfaction.

This time, the flight seemed almost too short, and the kiss that she gave him in the terminal before they parted ways was more demonstrative than Elizabeth or Darcy normally would have liked in public, but still not enough for either. It was only after he promised that he would call the minute he arrived in Chicago that she let go of his hand and headed toward the baggage claim.

After picking up her suitcase, Elizabeth stood outside the airport waiting for Jane to pick her up and suddenly all sorts of concerns descended on her. She knew that she should not be involved with Darcy, it was a bad idea given that she would be working for him in a few months. Jane and Charles had been through such strife because of an intra-office relationship. Still though, she could not break up with him now, she loved how she felt with him whether they were kissing, talking, or just sitting together. She knew that she had meant it when she offered to give up her Pemberley internship for him, but was glad that he had discouraged it. She would not want to end up resenting him for costing her a great opportunity, not when the relationship was so promising. By the time Jane arrived to get her, Elizabeth was confused, but proud of her decision.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

_Friday 16 March 2001 – Sunday 18 March 2001_

It was two weeks before Elizabeth saw Darcy again. Due to high telephone demand at the Bennet household, they had only spoken four times in the interim, but both were looking forward to the weekend of St. Patrick's Day.

Charles Bingley's birthday had been on Thursday, and when Elizabeth found out that Jane would be going to visit him that weekend, she jumped at the chance to accompany her sister. Dr. Bennet was slightly unhappy as he drove his two eldest daughters to the train station on Friday afternoon. He repeatedly cautioned them to "be careful" and reminded them to call him from their aunt and uncle's house.

The train ride went quickly with pleasant companionship, and before they knew it, they were at the train station, being met by two men, neither of whom was the one they had expected to see. Each young woman ran to embrace her long-distance boyfriend, and it was Elizabeth who first posed the question they were both thinking.

"Where's Uncle Ed?"

"He is at my house, with the rest of his family." Darcy responded. "We are trying the dinner party thing again. Your aunt promised to stay on the main floor this time." He smiled nervously, hoping that his mention of the last time would not be taken the wrong way.

"That sounds great." She kissed him on the cheek and threaded her arm through his. "One car or two?"

"One of course, we must do our part for the environment."

"Says the guy with the SUV." Elizabeth raised her eyebrow a bit as she commented, but softened her gentle chastisement with a hug to the arm she was holding. Each man took a small suitcase in hand, and they headed toward the parking lot.

Elizabeth sat in the front passenger seat as Jane and Bingley snuggled together in the back. Both couples engaged in their own conversations as Darcy drove them to his home.

-o-o-o-o-

When they arrived at the house, the only person they found was Mrs. Reynolds, who was working in the kitchen. When asked about the location of the Gardiners, she revealed that they were all in the basement with Georgiana. She responded to the displeased set of Darcy's mouth by assuring him that although she was perfectly fine, Mrs. Gardiner had taken the elevator to set everybody's mind at ease. Elizabeth noted how well the housekeeper knew Darcy's expressions, and was pleased to see how much he was cared for in his own home.

The foursome headed down the stairs, and saw Georgiana once again at play with the Gardiner boys in a pillow fort. Mr. Gardiner sat in a nearby chair sipping a beer, and his wife sat on the floor slightly away from the action, snapping occasional pictures of the delighted children and their new favorite babysitter.

Elizabeth knew, from both her aunt and her boyfriend, that Georgiana had come over to babysit the boys once earlier that month. It had made her feel so happy and responsible, that she had since offered to babysit for some family friends despite having no real need for the money. Nobody had taken her up on it yet, most of Darcy's social acquaintances with children employed at least part-time nannies, but her brother was immensely pleased at what it represented about her growth of character. She still needed to learn to be less shy around her peers, but this was an excellent start.

The Bennet girls hugged their uncle and aunt, marveling at the latter's expanded belly. She was not very large yet, but now there was visible evidence of the new cousin they would have in the summer.

Elizabeth, Jane, and even Bingley joined in the fort-building and destruction with the youngsters. Darcy sat on the floor nearby, after having gone to retrieve his own camera, and joined Mrs. Gardiner in her endeavor to capture the moment.

-o-o-o-o-

Mrs. Reynolds announced over the intercom that dinner was ready, and the Gardiner children rushed to the elevator and fought over who got to push the button to return their mother to the main floor. Not surprisingly, the group on the stairs beat them to the dining room.

Dinner was an elegant herb-crusted salmon served with tater tots. Elizabeth laughed at the juxtaposition and commented to Mrs. Reynolds how nice it was to serve things that both the adults and children would like. The housekeeper smiled and responded that the dishes were not of her choosing. Elizabeth then smiled at Darcy and asked whether he or his sister had selected the side dish. He laughed and responded that is was neither.

"We let Bingley choose because it is his birthday dinner, and I do not believe he had the children in mind at all. This is one of his favorite meals."

The man in question blushed and responded. "There's nothing wrong with liking tater tots."

"Of course there isn't, honey." Jane kissed his cheek reassuringly and was rewarded with a smile from him and loud "ewww" noises from the Gardiner boys.

Dinner conversation remained lighthearted and pleasant. For dessert, they had an ice cream cake, which set off another round of teasing at Bingley's juvenile choice.

When it was time to go for the evening, Darcy carried two small suitcases from his car to the Gardiners' minivan while Bingley had a hushed conversation with Jane in the corner. He gave her a pleading look as she went with her family and blew him a kiss goodbye.

-o-o-o-o-

Both Bennet girls had breakfast with the Gardiners before being picked up by their respective boyfriends. Elizabeth smiled to herself as she repeated the word in her head, "boyfriend". It had been a while since she had been able to call anybody by that title.

As they were getting ready in the guest bedroom that morning, Jane made a request of her sister.

"I think I might stay over at Charles's place tonight. Can you do me a favor and not mention it to Dad?"

"I can't imagine how it would come up, but sure. Is that what he was asking you last night?"

"Yeah he wanted me to go straight home with him then, but I told him I had to spend one of my nights in town with my family."

"Good for you, but why not both? I thought you two had decided to take things slowly." Elizabeth was mostly teasing her sister, but also a little curious, she was secretly looking for guidance regarding her own budding relationship.

"Yeah, slowly but not backwards." Jane laughed and finished pulling her into a neat braid. "Try not to make a big deal about me not being here though, maybe the boys won't even notice."

"Good luck with that. I'll do what I can." Elizabeth smiled and fluffed up her curls a bit. She remembered from their short time together in Florida how Darcy had loved to run his fingers through her hair.

By the time they went downstairs, the two men were waiting to whisk them off. The sisters waved goodbye to each other as they were escorted to separate cars.

-o-o-o-o-

Once Darcy had closed Elizabeth's door, he walked to the driver's side and climbed in himself. He had brought, in deference to her stated opinion of SUVs, a smaller car. Once he was buckled in, she leaned over and kissed him hello before he even had a chance to start the engine.

"How many cars do you own?" She asked as she looked around the silver Mercedes, detracting from her judgmental sounding words with a teasing smile as they took off toward their destination.

"Two. Well, two that I drive myself. We also have a Town Car for when we need chauffeur service, but that happens rarely."

"You have a chauffeur?" Elizabeth was a bit taken aback by this information. Darcy was apparently wealthier than she had realized.

"Rarely; mostly he is the gardener. Although it has been convenient for him to drive us more often since he moved into the garage apartment."

"He lives in an apartment above your garage, Sabrina*-style? He doesn't have a beautiful daughter does he?"

"He has two daughters, both of whom are still in high school and live with their mother. He did not move into the apartment until after his divorce, although they do have rooms there, it is quite large."

"I suppose I should be relieved that I won't have to compete with them for your affection." She moved close enough to Darcy so that she could lean her head on his shoulder.

"No one could ever compete with you." He stole a brief glance at her before returning his eyes to the heavy traffic.

Elizabeth blushed at the compliment, but was unsure of how to respond, so after a short pause she began speaking again. "I love your house, but it's so big. Does poor Mrs. Reynolds have to clean it all by herself?"

"No, she makes the beds and does the laundry, but a maid service that comes once a week to do the rest."

"Good, I would hate to think of that lovely old woman scrubbing a toilet. I know she's technically a employee; a servant or whatever, but you seem so comfortable with her, like family."

"She is family. In many ways, she is the closest thing to a mother Georgiana has ever known." Darcy got a sad look in his eyes and Elizabeth put her hand on his arm comfortingly, letting the subject lapse.

-o-o-o-o-

They spent most of the day at the Chicago Art Institute. It had been a few years since Elizabeth had had a chance to visit, and she enjoyed touring with someone so familiar with the layout. Clearly Darcy was a patron of the arts.

"Next time you come, we should go see a show."

"I'd like that." She smiled. "An opera or some sophomoric musical?"

He took the challenge with good humor. "Well, I suppose it depends upon whose horizons need broadening the most."

"I'll have to come for two nights again I guess so that we can see one of each. I'm sure my aunt and uncle won't mind me staying with them again."

He decided to take the subject in a different direction. "You would not have to stay with them. I mean, I would like it if - "

She cut him off with fingers placed gently on his lips. "I'm not quite ready for that yet, but when I am, you'll be the first to know."

"I certainly hope so." He smiled and held her more tightly about the waist, grateful that she had not let him make an ass of himself before refusing his offer. Upon reflection, he supposed it was for the best. He could hardly invite her to spend the night in the house he shared with his teenage sister; he had to set a proper example. Still, he did not like the idea of having to take her to a hotel room, it seemed tawdry somehow, impersonal at the very least. Most of his previous girlfriends had lived alone or with a roommate, but Elizabeth was planning to stay with her family all summer. He supposed that they had some time before spending the night together became an issue and he would think on it again when it did.

They had a pleasant dinner that evening at a place for which Elizabeth felt under dressed and Darcy dropped her off at the Gardiner home with a heated goodnight kiss, but no further invitation to his home. She was grateful that he understood her need for boundaries, but disappointed to see him go.

-o-o-o-o-

Bingley brought Jane back early the next morning. Amazingly, Jane had been right, the Gardiner children had not even missed her. Elizabeth had arrived in time to read them a story at bedtime and Jane returned before breakfast. Bingley shared the meal with them and Darcy arrived soon afterward for a short visit.

At the children's insistence, they would accompany Mr. Gardiner to see their cousins off at the train station, so the young women were forced to say goodbye to their boyfriends at the house. The Gardiners took their children upstairs to get ready as the couples bid farewell. Elizabeth found herself dragged from the kitchen into the family room so that each pair could have their privacy. Darcy's arms held her tightly around the waist as he kissed her passionately. She basked in the warmth that spread through her body at his every touch, and stood on her tiptoes as she returned his kiss in kind.

At the sound of little feet bounding down the stairs, she pulled away from him, panting slightly as she dropped back to a flat footed stance and leaned her head against his chest. Suddenly, she felt small arms wrap themselves around her legs as the children begged her to stay longer.

"Yes, please do." A baritone voice added to the chorus. She only smiled and shook her head.

"I'll be here all summer, you just have to wait six more weeks." She addressed the rugrats at her feet. "And you," she looked up at the man holding her firmly, "are free to see me whenever you can get to Ann Arbor."

"I am going to hold you to that." He punctuated his pronouncement with a last peck on her lips, then went to collect his friend from the kitchen. "In the meantime, I will have to settle for Bingley's company." He invited the other man to lunch, and they all left the house simultaneously, leaving Mrs. Gardiner alone to nap.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* _Sabrina_ is a 1954 movie starring Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, and Humphrey Bogart. It is about a chauffeur's daughter who falls in love with the son of her father's employer.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

_Friday 13 April 2001 – Sunday 15 April 2001_

Both couples spoke on the phone at least twice a week for the next month. Elizabeth was sure that Jane was getting to talk to Bingley more often, since she could use her office phone for the endeavor, and was a bit jealous before reminding herself of all the trouble that their work situation caused for the other couple. She then remembered that she would have a similar problem in only a month and resolved to have more sympathy for her elder sister.

Late Friday afternoon, she was sitting on her bed making study aids out of index cards when the doorbell rang. Knowing that her mother was downstairs, she ignored the sound and continued her work until a moment later, when a knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said without glancing up from her task. The door opened, but nobody said anything. Wondering which of her sisters would be so silent, she finally looked toward the doorway, which was filled with a tall man who was staring at her intently. "Darcy!" She jumped up from her bed and rushed to embrace him. "What are you doing here?"

"A beautiful woman once told me that I could see her anytime I was able to to make the trip." He rested his head on top of hers and inhaled her scent. She wore a perfume unlike anything he had ever smelled. It was floral and citrusy but sophisticated at the same time.

"But we talked on Wednesday and you didn't say anything about coming."

"I wanted to surprise you."

"It's a great surprise, I just wish you hadn't chosen this weekend, or next weekend for that matter."

"Now I am thoroughly confused." He was clearly saddened by her rejection.

"Come in, sit down." Elizabeth offered, then realizing there were no chairs in her room, she cleared off a corner of the bed. She had already strewn her notes about in her haste to welcome him, so she took little care in shoving her books toward the opposite side of her bed before sitting down next to him. "I'm very happy to see you, really I am, I just don't have time to spend with you this weekend. My finals start next week and I have to study my ass off. I wish you'd been able to come last weekend. I had a concert then."

"I wish I had been here for that, but the conference in Denver was unavoidable. I am sorry Sweetheart."

She smiled, he so rarely called her by anything but her given name. "I know you would've been here if you could've. I'm not mad at you, I'm just frustrated now that you've come all this way and I can't spend the time with you that you deserve."

"I knew you had to study this weekend, I do listen when you talk. I had prepared for such a necessity. How about we start with dinner tonight, you were planning to eat weren't you?"

"Of course. Let's go someplace downtown, we can even walk. It's a bit of a hike, but I've been cooped up with books all this week, and I will be for the next week too, I need to stretch my legs."

Elizabeth ushered him out the door for a moment while she changed her clothes. Then, after grabbing a sweater and putting on a pair of shoes, she bade farewell to her family, not noting her father's disapproving glare.

-o-o-o-o-

As he walked hand in hand with Elizabeth, Darcy ruminated on how different she was than any woman he had ever dated in the past. Although she had put on a nicer shirt than she had been wearing when he arrived, it was neither revealing nor impractical for the slightly chilly spring air. She had put tennis shoes on her feet because she had insisted on walking the near mile to Main Street. There was nothing artificial or underhanded about her, she spoke her mind and did so intelligently. It hit him, not for the first time, that he was in love with this woman. He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"What's the mat-" was as far as she got before his mouth descended on hers. It was meant to be a brief kiss, but it was so full of emotion that his intentions fell by the wayside. She responded enthusiastically before the sound of a car horn reminded both of them that they were on a public sidewalk and he pulled back. She laughed nervously and suggested they try not to do that in public, but held possessively onto his arm as they started walking toward downtown again.

"If you want more privacy, we can always go back to Bingley's house. I have it to myself for the weekend. We could always order dinner in, perhaps rent a movie." He seemed hopeful.

Elizabeth sighed and decided that the time had come for them to have a talk, but she first responded to his suggestion without words by continuing their trek to a restaurant.

"Look, I like you a lot, Darcy, more than I expected to at this point, but I'm not ready yet for what you want to do. If that's a deal-breaker for you, I'll understand." The look in her eyes however, suggested that such an answer would break her heart.

"No, of course not. Should we be sitting down for this conversation?"

"I think walking is better for me. Anyway, I know we've been going out for a little while now, but I think I need a little more time to make that decision, you know? I guess I'm different than the other women you date, huh?"

"You certainly are, that is what I like most about you. You are smarter, prettier," he paused for a moment, "and younger. You are still in college. I keep feeling like some cradle-robbing old man, yet I know that I could not give you up even if I wanted to."

"You're not too old for me, I did the math. Are you familiar with the half your age plus seven rule?"

"I do not believe that I have ever heard of it."

"It's gross to date anybody younger than half your age plus seven. You're twenty-nine, right? So half your age is fourteen and a half, plus seven is twenty-one and a half. Do you know how old I am?"

"Twenty-one and a half." He answered with a smile.

"Not creepy." She concluded. "Sorry, we got off topic, back to my serious thing now." Elizabeth knew that she had to push through while she had the courage, otherwise she was in danger of avoiding the topic for several more weeks, "I've had a couple of boyfriends, and we've done stuff," at this she blushed bright pink and could not look him in the eye, "but I've never actually . . ." She trailed off, unsure of how to tactfully phrase what she needed to say.

"Elizabeth, are you trying to tell me that you are a virgin?" He failed to suppress a smile.

She only nodded in response at first, but quickly found her voice again. "I mean, I'm not a nun or anything, I've done stuff."

"So you mentioned." He was smiling more broadly now

"My embarrassment amuses you?"

"Your innocence pleases me."

"That is so chauvinistic." She huffed and tried to storm off, but he held her hand tightly.

"Perhaps a little, but it's a perfectly normal reaction for a man to have when the woman he loves tells him-"

"Excuse me, the woman he what now?" Elizabeth stopped short and looked him full in the face.

"I am sorry." It was Darcy's turn to flush in embarrassment. "Not that I love you of course, I could never be sorry for that." He was emboldened by the fact that she now knew his secret, it allowed him to speak freely. "I am only sorry that I said it so soon, I don't want to scare you if you feel that I am trying to move too fast."

"No, it's okay." She started walking again, and took a moment before continuing. "I like hearing it. I can't say it back to you, not yet, but I promise that when I feel it, I will."

"That is all I can ask." He was pleased by her use of the word 'when', it gave him reason to hope for the near future.

"And just so you know, Darcy, I'm not really a prude or anything, I've just always thought that I wouldn't go all the way until I really loved somebody." She did not look at him as she spoke but she did hold his arm more tightly.

Darcy put together her last two comments in his mind and realized that she had just implicitly promised him her virginity. He knew after that, nothing could ruin his day. He assured Elizabeth that she was worth waiting for, something she clearly needed to hear.

Over dinner, they had a less intense conversation. They spoke topically for a bit, making sure they were each up to date on the life and activities of the other, then Darcy brought up something about which he wanted to speak to her.

"I know that I generally ask everyone to address me by surname, but I was hoping that you might call me something a little more," he searched for a word, "intimate."

"Like Snookums?" Elizabeth asked with a smile.

"Absolutely not. I meant something more along the lines of my given name."

"You actually want me to call you Fitzwilliam?" She was mildly incredulous, he had previously expressed his distaste of the moniker. "I thought you hated that name."

"It sounds so nice when you say it. I did not actually mean my full given name; but now that you mention it, I like the idea of you calling me something nobody else does."

"What name does Georgie use? I can't imagine she goes around calling you by her own last name?"

"She usually shortens my first name to William or even Will, but she has recently taken to addressing me as 'Brother', which is a little odd, but I find to be a convenient choice in public."

"Well, I certainly won't use the latter option, in public or private, but I will take the whole name thing under consideration. Just so you know though, I'm not counting out Snookums or Pookie." She stroked his foot with hers in a flirtatious manner under the table as she teased him. His only response was to grab her hand and kiss it without breaking eye contact. "What makes you hate your full name so much anyway? You've never given me a good explanation."

"The usual reason I suppose, I was mocked for it as a child. Georgie could not always pronounce it properly, and you would be amazed to find out just how quickly 'Fissywillum' from the mouth of a toddler becomes 'Pussywillow" from the mouths of teenagers."

"You poor baby." Elizabeth patted his hand, not so much because he needed the comfort as because she enjoyed touching him. "What would you like to call me?"

"I am personally quite partial to Elizabeth." He smiled broadly across the table. "Both the person and the name."

"Well then Fitzwilliam," she over-enunciated each syllable of his name so that he could not help but take note of the deliberate movement of her tongue, "it looks like our dinner is ready." She glanced toward the server approaching with a laden tray. "Just in time too, I was starting to consider eating you."

Darcy could not resist, and leaned across the table to quietly say; "Anytime you want to do that, be my guest. You don't even have to ask."

Elizabeth's cheeks were pink when the food reached their table.

-o-o-o-o-

Their dinner was enjoyable, but fairly brief. Darcy was conscientious of the time constraints that final exams placed upon his girlfriend. They discussed her classes and various subjects in the world of economics, but both carefully avoided the mention of her upcoming job at Pemberley International. Darcy had mixed feelings about the summer position. It would place her within a convenient distance for him, which would certainly make dating easier, but he was unsure whether she would choose to put their relationship on hold for the duration of her employment. He had laid it out as an option when they began dating, but as his plan's execution became increasingly imminent, he could not help but doubt his ability to abide by his own suggestion. He would have been pleased to know how close his companion's thoughts were to his own.

The walk home was a bit more chilly, but Elizabeth refused Darcy's chivalrous offer to give her his coat. Instead, she insisted that he put his arm around her, a prospect that he did not object to in the least. He kissed her only briefly on the front porch, wary of the number of possible spies lurking behind the curtains of the Bennet household, and promised that he would see her the next day despite her warnings that she would not be able to pay him much attention.

-o-o-o-o-

Not long after breakfast the next morning, the doorbell rang. Anticipating the identity of the guest, Elizabeth hurried to open it herself. She was not surprised to see Darcy standing on the front porch, but was a bit taken aback by the large gift basket he handed her.

"What's this?"

"It is a 'finals survival kit' like the ones Mrs. Reynolds used to send when I was in college."

Elizabeth looked at the cellophane wrapped monstrosity in her arms, and motioned to Darcy to come in with her head. He obliged and locked the door behind him before taking his gift out of her arms and heading toward the stairs.

"Allow me."

"Thanks, I guess. Where are we going."

"To your room of course, unless there is somewhere else you prefer to study." He looked at her with a questioningly raised eyebrow until she shook her head.

"No, my room's the place."

He led her to her own bedroom, where he placed the basket down on the only available surface, her bed, which had already begun to accumulate textbooks and notes that morning. Elizabeth removed the enormous red bow, which she playfully placed on Darcy's head, then attacked the clear wrapper of her gift to get at the contents. She laughed as she pulled out each item in turn; two cans of energy drink, Ginkgo biloba supplements, several kinds of fresh fruit, highlighters and pens of every color, stacks of index cards, sharpened number two pencils tied with a ribbon, aromatherapy lotion, and a stress ball.

She looked from the basket to the earnest look in her boyfriend's eyes and, dumping everything in her hands onto the bed, she leaned over the basket to kiss him on the lips. He swatted the basket aside and hardly noticed it falling to the floor as he pulled her close to him. They kissed passionately for a few moments, each clinging to the other desperately. Elizabeth's arms wound around his neck, but encountered the collar of his suit jacket instead of the skin she wanted to feel. Without even glancing toward the still open door of her bedroom, she tugged at his outermost layer, managing to get it off of him before Darcy reluctantly pulled back.

"As much as I would like to continue in this manner all day, and believe me, I would, I know that you have to study for your exams."

"You're leaving already?"

"Of course not." He answered decidedly before his tone softened in concern. "Unless you want me to go."

"No, no, I'd love to have you here." She kissed him again, keeping it as brief as possible, which was difficult for both of them. "I just figured you'd get bored watching me study all day."

"My current plan is to remain with you and help in any way that I can. I could quiz you, or grade a practice test, whatever you need. In case you have no need of me, I brought a book." He bent to retrieve his jacket from the floor, and produced a small paperback from its inner pocket. "Please tell me if I am in your way. I can go of course, I just wanted to spend time with you."

He looked at her so earnestly, that Elizabeth did not have the heart to send him away. Besides, she very much wanted to keep him close by since they saw each other so rarely.

"I meant it when I said I want you here, and I think I'll take you up on that offer of help as long as you promise that you won't let me bore you to death."

"As long as I am with you, it would be a pleasant way to die."

"Fitzwilliam!" She admonished, blushing slightly.

He smiled at her use of his given name, and leaned forward to kiss her, but before he could make contact, they were interrupted by a giggle from the hallway.

"If this is what studying is like, maybe I should do it more!"

"Kitty, get out." Elizabeth chastised as she sighed in frustration.

"I am out. The hall's for everybody. You're the one making out with the door open."

"Not anymore, I'm not." Elizabeth rose from the bed and slammed the door in her teenage sister's face.

-o-o-o-o-

It was nearly two hours before they were disturbed again. Elizabeth called out "Come in" to the knock on the door, and was surprised to see her father enter her room. She was concerned for a moment that he would notice her slightly swollen lips, or the mark she had left on Darcy's neck; he was unlikely to be pleased with her behavior. Fortunately, the man sitting innocently on the floor had arranged his collar to cover the mark, and although his tie was lying atop his jacket on her bed, there was no real evidence of the fact that they had occasionally strayed from the task at hand.

Dr. Bennet looked from his daughter to her guest. By all accounts, they looked to be studying as Elizabeth had claimed was her plan. His daughter was making flashcards from her notes, she acknowledged his presence, but did not halt in her task. Darcy was holding a red pen and reading through a paper she had due in a few days, making occasional notes in the margin.

After studying the room for a moment as if searching for evidence of their misbehavior, Dr. Bennet addressed his daughter. "Your mother wishes to know whether your guest is staying for lunch," he paused for a moment, "and dinner." He added the last word with a bit of disdain, suggesting that the guest in question was imposing himself on the family by arriving unannounced.

"I don't really know what the plan is." She responded to her father before turning her attention to her companion. "Darcy, what do you want to do?"

"I would love to stay for lunch if it is not too much trouble." He smiled graciously at Dr. Bennet, and Elizabeth could not help but notice the difference in his face; there were no dimples like when he smiled at her. He was being polite, but not particularly engaging. She made a mental note to discuss it with him later and almost missed what he said next.

"I had planned to take Elizabeth out to dinner." He turned to look at her. "I made a reservation at The Gandy Dancer."

"Really? That place is so fancy, I've always wanted to go, but I don't know what to wear." She gave a small laugh. "I guess that explains why you wore a suit to help me study for finals, it's too bad you got all wrinkled sitting on the floor of my room."

"It was worth it." Darcy responded, smiling so that his dimples showed.

Dr. Bennet cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. "I will go inform your mother of your plans then." He turned and walked out of the room, deliberately not closing the door behind him.

-o-o-o-o-

It was not long before they were called downstairs to share grilled cheese and inane conversation with the rest of Elizabeth's family. Later, they returned to her room where Darcy closed the door before quizzing her from flashcards, offering a kiss for each correct answer. As she was well versed on the material, it was rewarding for both of them.

Early in the evening, Darcy went downstairs to wait while Jane helped Elizabeth choose a dress and get ready for dinner. He found Dr. Bennet in the family room watching a basketball game on television and attempted to engage the older man in conversation, which turned out to be a lost cause. Fortunately, Elizabeth was a low-maintenance woman, and it was not too unbearably long before she descended the stairs wearing a tea-length dress in the same emerald shade as her eyes. It was form fitting to the waist, and flared out at the bottom when she twirled in a circle upon reaching the foyer.

"You look beautiful." Darcy praised her, knowing his words were not enough to convey how he truly felt.

Dr. Bennet had also risen to see his daughter off, and could not help but add his own opinion. "It seems a bit cold out for that dress."

Darcy was appalled the man's lack of tact, but supposed that he was not wrong. The dress had a halter top that had clearly been designed for summer wear. He looked to Elizabeth to see how she would react to her father's comment.

"I know," she laughed, "but it's the nicest dress I have. I'm going to wear my pink sweater with it, but I think it's in the laundry room. Hang on just a second." She rushed off to the basement to retrieve her sweater, leaving Darcy standing near the stairs in awkward silence. Her father headed back toward the television under the pretense of seeing how the game was going.

When she returned she looked significantly warmer and only a bit less sexy with her shoulders covered. She called out to her father to lock the door behind them and headed out to Darcy's sleek car.

Over dinner that night, Elizabeth did her best to explain her father's weirdly detached yet overprotective nature, but the more she tried to explain, the less it made sense even to her.

He returned her home that night directly after dinner, kissing her goodbye in the car before he walked her to the door in an attempt to have some privacy.

-o-o-o-o-

Sunday morning proceeded similarly to the day before. Darcy arrived at the door after breakfast, this time with elaborate bouquets of flowers both for Elizabeth and Mrs. Bennet, the former of which was accepted with a kiss and the latter with squeals of delight.

He again helped Elizabeth study until lunchtime, when he took her out for the meal. Returning to the Bennet house in the early afternoon, he bade her a regretful farewell and good luck on her exams before heading back to Chicago.

Elizabeth could hardly study that afternoon, it seemed such a lonely proposition by herself but she forced herself to buckle down and gently squeezed the stress ball with Pemberley's corporate logo on it, thinking of Darcy the entire time.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

_Saturday 28 April 2001_

Eventually Elizabeth's exams were over and graded. Finally, the day had come for her to graduate. During the ceremony, she was a speck in a giant crowd, but afterward, she was the center of attention among her own family, just like every other member of her giant graduating class.

As Elizabeth posed for pictures in her graduation cap and gown with one sister after another her smile grew slightly forced. After what felt like the thousandth picture, she was about to beg for a break, when a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

"May I get a picture with the graduate?"

"Darcy!" She cried in glee. She had not expected to see him that weekend. She knew that he had a very important meeting on Monday for which he had to prepare a presentation. She threw her arms around him and, to the disgust of her father and the amusement of most of her female family members, she kissed him soundly on the mouth.

Kitty, who was holding the camera at that moment, snapped multiple pictures of the scene until her father grabbed it away from her.

She was still kissing him moments later when a group of her classmates came by to get a group picture. Reluctantly, Elizabeth let Darcy go and posed for a few snapshots with her friends. Eventually the photo taking ceased, and Elizabeth could return to Darcy's side. She saw then that he had been joined by his younger sister, whom he was introducing to the youngest Bennet girls. Elizabeth hugged Georgiana in greeting, a gesture which surprised and pleased the teenager. She then turned toward her boyfriend while looping her arm through his sister's.

"I thought you were too busy to come this weekend."

"I got a ride so that I could work in the car."

"Don't tell me Georgie agreed to actually use her learner's permit." Elizabeth smiled and squeezed the girl's arm affectionately.

"No such luck, I am starting to think that she does not really want a driver's license." Darcy gave a wry half-smile to his sister, who laughed softly at the rare event that was her brother teasing her.

"You didn't make poor Mr. Goodrich come all this way did you?" She asked, referring to his chauffeur whom she had yet to meet.

"No, the guy who gave me a ride was happy to do it." He stole a glance to the side and Elizabeth followed his eye line to see Jane happily embracing a blond man she could only see from the back.

"Charles drove you?"

"Enthusiastically."

"We're having a barbecue at my house, do you guys want to come?" The Bennet family started to leave the area, moving slowly toward their home. Elizabeth had each Darcy held firmly by the arm as if afraid of losing them in the bustle of exodus.

"Of course." He agreed with a slightly bittersweet smile. "I knew I would be unable to get you alone tonight."

"How long can you stay?"

"Only until tomorrow morning; Georgie has to finish her homework and Bingley has an early meeting on Monday as well."

"And you made him drive you here?"

"I did not make him do anything; I explained the situation and he volunteered. Besides, he only has to listen to a presentation, not design one."

-o-o-o-o-

They returned to the Bennet home, where Dr. Bennet wasted no time in firing up the grill. Fortunately there were not too many people present. Darcy had feared scores of people crammed into the smallish backyard. Instead there were only a dozen or so people outside the family. Unfortunately, as the guest of honor, Elizabeth was forced to socialize with every one of them.

He tried to stay attentive to his sister, who clung to him nervously at first. Soon however, Lydia and Kitty were happily introducing Georgiana around the party. He watched as she was slowly drawn into conversation with the Bennet girls and seemed to be enjoying herself. He was a bit concerned that Lydia might be a bad influence on her, but could not bring himself to interfere when his sister appeared to be genuinely happy, if not particularly talkative. Elizabeth came up and grasped him by the arm, practically reading his mind.

"She'll be fine you know." At his questioning look, she continued. "Lydia can't corrupt her, Georgie's a good girl. My sisters are silly, but they're just teenagers, it might be nice for Georgie to hang out with some people her own age, you told me she doesn't have many friends at school."

"She is doing better now, since she got involved in the musical. You give great advice."

"She's lucky to have a brother who cares so much about her."

"You know what, as much as I love my sister, there are things I would rather do on the rare occasions I get to see you than discuss her."

Elizabeth laughed and led him by the hand through the back door of the house and into the family room. "We only have a few minutes before they come looking for me." She warned him. "I am the guest of honor here."

He sat down and pulled her into his lap. "Then we ought to make the best possible use of our time together." He said before his mouth descended upon hers.

-o-o-o-o-

Fortunately, it was Jane and Bingley who came looking for them several minutes later. Jane stood in the doorway looking embarrassed and waiting for them to stop before she spoke, but her boyfriend knew that it was no use.

"At least we can see all your hands." He announced loudly to the couple making out on the appropriately named loveseat.

"Bingley, what are you doing here?"

"People are asking for Elizabeth. Dr. Bennet was going to come get her until Jane volunteered to do the job."

"Thank you Jane." Elizabeth got up from Darcy's lap, a feat made more difficult than it should have been by the arm that was attempting to hold her in place. Once free, she leaned over and wiped a lip gloss smudge from the corner of his mouth before holding out her hand for him to rise. "Well, aren't you coming?"

"Of course." He agreed begrudgingly, taking her hand but not using it for support.

The two couples returned to the party outside and Darcy did not have a moment alone with Elizabeth again all evening. He hardly had enough time to make a date for the next day before he left that night.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning both Darcys arrived fairly early at the Bennet household with Bingley looking bleary-eyed beside them. Elizabeth was lounging on the front lawn, enjoying the spring sunshine as she waited for Jane to finish getting ready.

Georgiana was struck by the difference between the sisters when Jane emerged from the house a few minutes later. They were both friendly and attractive, but in very different ways. Jane was blonde and willowy and classically beautiful. She wore a casual skirt and a twinset. Her hair was sleek and neatly arranged in a French braid. Her soft-spoken manner seemed far more suited to Darcy than her sister's boisterousness. Although Georgiana liked Elizabeth very much, she was surprised at her brother's choice, she was hardly his usual type.

The teenager looked around for a moment, she had not seen where her brother had gone. Upon hearing his deep laughter, she noticed that he had joined Elizabeth in sitting on the grass with complete disregard to his clothes. The brunette woman was wearing jeans and a tee shirt with a pair of Birkenstocks on her feet. Her hair was curly and wild and already looked windblown. She was laughing at some joke unknown to everyone else, and did not look embarrassed when she noticed the others looking at them. She stayed seated long enough for Darcy to rise and help her up, giving him a slightly patronizing look as he hoisted her to her feet. Georgiana thought to herself that it was probably for the best that Elizabeth was not his usual type; she made him much happier than was normal.

Soon, the five of were eating brunch in a casual restaurant near campus. Georgiana was saved from her fear of being an ignored fifth wheel by both Bennet sisters expressing genuine interest in her life. She had seen their Gardiner cousins more recently than they had, and was happy to tell stories of the games she had played with the little boys.

Too soon, it was time for the visitors to return to Chicago. Elizabeth promised to see them in a week when she would go to stay with her aunt and uncle. After hugs all around, Bingley and the Darcys dropped off the two women and left, waving as they drove down the street.


	36. Chapter 36

I know that I said I was going to post closer to once a week, but then I edited this chapter and got all antsy about posting it. So here it is, a few days early. Well, after the note, there it is. Also, I updated my Author's Note on the first page with basically the same information you see below, in case you stumbled by there and wonder why it looks different.

Mild spoiler implied by note: _Okay,starting with this chapter, there are some naughty bits in my original story. When I started posting this here, I rated it T, which I am taking to mean PG-13 type material; we know people do stuff but don't get the details. I tried not to describe anything you couldn't see on broadcast TV before ten o'clock. Some stuff will still happen, but I did my best to make it relatively tasteful. In all honesty, I am a little self-conscious about the adult scenes I wrote, but they are part of the story now and I shouldn't hide them completely._

_That being said, I have decided to leave the rating as it is and censor the story as I post it here at this site. This decision was made largely for two reasons. (1) It allows people who do not want to read adult material to find out what happens - I am optimistic/egotistical enough to hope/assume that at least some people care what happens – and (2) this is not the only site on the internet. _

_I am posting the original versions of this and all future chapters on my new google site, which can by accessed either through the homepage link in my profile or by removing the extraneous spaces in the following address (to go to this chapter specifically):_

http:/ /sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-36

**Edit: loyal commenter scmema has pointed out to me that this did not work in her browser until she added www, so if you are having trouble, try **

** http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-36 [without the spaces, of course]**

** Since both seem to work in my browser, I will go change my homepage link as well to include the extra prefix.**

** If you have trouble with it, send me a message and let me know. Thanks!**

_That being the case, I will do my best to edit out the naughty parts for this particular version of the my tale while maintaining the sense of what is going on. Let me know if I remove too much for something to make sense or leave so much in that it upsets you._

_This chapter is only about 100 words shorter than the original version. I guess that tells you how risqué it was (or wasn't, really) when I originally wrote it. _

**Chapter 36**

_Sunday 6 May 2001 – Thursday 10 May 2001_

One week later found Elizabeth struggling with a giant suitcase at the Chicago Amtrak station.

"Allow me." Her favorite voice sounded close to her ear.

After hugging Darcy and kissing him in a restrained manner, given their public location, Elizabeth allowed him to carry her suitcase to his waiting vehicle. As he drove her to the Gardiners' home, they had a pleasant conversation during which they both avoided the difficult question of where their relationship would go when she became his employee the next week.

When they arrived at her aunt and uncle's home, Elizabeth was surprised to see Georgiana already there and playing with Doug and Steve. Although the little boys hugged her eagerly, they did not seem quite as overjoyed to see her as usual. Elizabeth happily attributed this to their fondness for their new playmate / babysitter who had quite thoroughly captured their affections.

They all had dinner together and Elizabeth made plans to see Darcy the next evening for a date.

-o-o-o-o-

After the Darcys had gone home for the night and they had tucked in the boys, Elizabeth asked her aunt if it would be alright for her to look for her own apartment that summer.

"You know you're always welcome here Lizzy. The baby won't need his or her own room yet and the boys adore you."

"Not as much as they adore Georgie apparently." Elizabeth smiled so that her aunt would not misconstrue her words as sour grapes.

"They are quite taken with her. She's been by almost once a week since we met, usually she babysits so that your uncle and I can get out for an afternoon or evening, it's been wonderful."

"I"m glad to hear it. It sounds like a good arrangement for everybody. Now, tell me about the baby. You don't know the sex?" Elizabeth was amazed, her aunt had remained slender for much of her pregnancy, but now appeared to be increasing exponentially.

"We decided to be surprised again. I know I'm supposed to tell everybody that I don't care as long as its healthy; and I want that most of all of course, but I'm secretly hoping for a girl to even up the numbers a bit around here. You can't convince Ed of that that though, he refuses to admit it, but clearly wants another boy. I think he's using me to grow his own baseball team."

"Well, he did have only sisters growing up, and I can't see either Mom or Aunt Jean playing sports with him. He's probably just compensating."

"Yeah, well, I'm only compensating him up to this point." She gestured to her expanded abdomen. "Once this one's out, I'm sending him in for the big snip."

Elizabeth was a bit taken aback at the idea of being privy to her relatives' birth control methods, so she decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, I don't know how much rent is around here, but if I can find a reasonable apartment, I might get it."

"Why do you want your own place Lizzy?"

"I'm almost twenty-two and I've never lived alone." Her blush suggested a different reason, and her aunt called her on it.

"You want a place to be alone with Darcy."

"Well, maybe; but the other thing too, the living by myself thing."

"I get it, you're young and in love. You know you can't bring him here, not with us and the kids around, but I promise not to say anything if you happen not to come home some night."

Elizabeth's blush deepened at Mrs. Gardiner's suggestive comment. "I'm not sure how comfortable he would be having me over there either, he lives with his sister."

"She's certainly old enough to understand how these things work."

"Yeah, but he's overprotective." Elizabeth shook her head back and forth as if to clear it. "This is all speculation anyway, I don't even know when I'll be ready to . . ." She trailed off suggestively.

"So, you and Darcy haven't slept together yet?" Her aunt asked leaning closer. "I'm sorry to be nosy, I just haven't had any good gossip in a while, your life is private. You should know though honey, that if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Aunt Maddie, I appreciate it. I guess I'm just not quite ready yet." Neither of them could help but notice the way she stressed the modifier. "When I'm sure I'm in love with him, then we'll figure out something."

"Good for you, it's always best to have standards. In my opinion though, I'm pretty sure that man exceeds anyone's standards.

"Thanks for the pep talk, we're definitely moving in that direction, that's why I'm thinking about my own apartment. The problem is the rent. I'm sure that I'll be able to afford a place, the internship pays pretty well, but I wanted to save that money for my master's degree."

"Why don't you look around a little during the day, just to see what's out there, you may be able to find a reasonable sublet, but don't agree to anything until you've tried staying here for at least a couple of weeks."

Elizabeth agreed and hugged her aunt goodnight, promising that if she had any concerns about her relationship, either physical or emotional, she would share them.

-o-o-o-o-

Over the next three days, Elizabeth fell into a bit of a routine. Every morning, she would look at apartments, all of which seemed too expensive if she wanted to put much money aside for her postgraduate education. Every afternoon, she would walk around Chicago, taking pictures and visiting tourist attractions until Darcy finished work, which seemed to be happening earlier every day. They would then spend every evening together, culminating in heated makeout sessions while parked in front of the Gardiner home when he dropped her off for the night. Each evening, they ventured a bit further, and on Wednesday, he was already unhooking her bra by the time he remembered where they were. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily, and he offered to take the whole afternoon off the next day to spend it with her.

On Thursday, he was true to his word, and they spent the afternoon at the Field Museum. She was impressed by how much he knew, they then headed to his house for some tea and privacy. Elizabeth was surprised to see the house empty, and inquired as to the whereabouts of his housekeeper.

"Mrs. Reynolds gets Thursday afternoons off. She might be home, but since she lives in the guesthouse, she won't be coming through here until tomorrow morning." They skipped the tea and went right to kissing on the sofa in the family room.

"Georgie?" She managed to choke out when his lips moved from hers to attack her neck.

"Rehearsal." He answered her just as briefly.

After her fears of being interrupted were set aside, Elizabeth was able to concentrate on the amazing sensations that Darcy's mouth and hands were causing to ripple through her body. Eventually, both of them managed to lose their tops as they kissed enthusiastically.

Elizabeth was lost in the feeling and although she knew there was something that she had wanted to tell him, she could not, for the life of her, remember. His hands moved from her hips to her bottom, and her own fingers were entwined tightly in his hair. She could feel his lips moving against her neck with occasional touches from his tongue. It occurred to her that he was mouthing "I love you" against her skin, and suddenly she remembered herself.

Elizabeth almost sat up in surprise when she recalled what it was she wanted to say. Instead, she used her fierce grip on Darcy's hair to force him to look at her.

"Say what you want to say." She whispered to him earnestly. "Tell me out loud what you're feeling."

There was no hesitation in his voice. "I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, Fitzwilliam." She did not miss a beat, but spoke as if she had been saying it all her life.

His eyes grew wide for a moment before he lunged forward, pressing his lips to hers, overcome by the emotion of the moment. They were so distracted by each other that they almost did not hear the front door open and close.

"Will?" Georgiana's voice called from the foyer. "Are you home?"

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as Darcy quickly clambered to his feet, leaving her feeling bereft. "We'll be there in a minute!" He yelled, sounding slightly panicked as he threw Elizabeth her shirt and shrugged on his own, buttoning it as quickly as he could. "Could you distract her for a bit?" He hissed to the woman still lying on the couch.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh and looked around for her bra but, not seeing it immediately, decided to let it go for the moment and pulled her tee shirt over her head. Darcy's undershirt lay on the floor, and she kicked it under the couch as she preceded him into the kitchen.

-o-o-o-o-

"Hi Georgie, how are you doing today?" Elizabeth asked in a forcibly bright manner. Georgiana offered her some juice and they sat down across the table from one another.

"Well, thank you. It's nice to see you here, but where's Will?"

"He's coming, maybe he got lost." She laughed in an attempt diffuse the small amount of tension that had settled over the room.

Darcy entered the kitchen then, looking mostly calm. Neither young woman could fail to notice though that his hair was obviously disheveled.

"Oh my God, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Georgiana seemed so embarrassed that Elizabeth decided to go against her nature and lie to the girl.

"No, it's fine, we were just talking."

At his sister's dubious look, Darcy decided to introduce a new topic of conversation. "How was rehearsal today?"

"It was fine, Mrs. Quinn kept the woodwinds today to practice extra, so the rest of us got to leave early. Kelly gave me a ride home, she invited me to spend the night tomorrow so I was wondering if it's okay." She looked pleadingly at her guardian.

There was nothing Darcy wanted more than to agree immediately. Not only would her absence allow him to have time alone with Elizabeth the next night, but he was pleased to see her making friends with whom she had common interests. However, his protective instincts and the memory of what had happened with a group of 'friends' the previous summer won out. "I will have to meet her parents first."

"You've met her mom, she was at that parents' meeting last month. You guys talked about books and she tried to flirt with you, remember?"

"Ah, yes, of course I remember her." He stole a glance at Elizabeth and was both relieved and disappointed to see her appear more amused than jealous. He addressed his next comment to his girlfriend. "I did not flirt back."

Georgiana gave a snort of laughter. "Like you ever flirt with anyone!"

"I wasn't worried." Elizabeth assured him, then turned to the teenager. "He flirts with me, you'd be surprised."

"I'll believe it when I see it – not that I want to see I it! I just meant - " She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Anyway, it's just going to be four girls and her mom will be there the whole time, I swear." The teenager looked at her brother with a wide-eyed look of pleading.

"Alright, fine; but you have to promise me there will be no drinking."

"I promise." Georgiana agreed happily. "Okay, I'm going to work on my homework now. You guys, feel free to do whatever." She waved her hand dismissively and threw her backpack over her shoulder, heading for the stairwell.

-o-o-o-o-

Still in the kitchen, Darcy went about making the tea that he had promised Elizabeth earlier, and their conversation turned serious.

"I've been thinking about this whole internship thing." She began hesitantly. "A part of me wishes that I had turned it down so that we wouldn't be in this situation, but I am really looking forward to it."

"It is certainly a wise career move. Whether or not you choose to further your education, a prestigious internship can only strengthen your resume."

"Yeah, I know that. It's just, well, you know how I feel about the job and how I feel about you, and I don't know if I can give up either."

"Then give up neither, we can make it work." He sat down at the kitchen table across from his girlfriend, concerned that she might be breaking up with him.

"I think we'll have to try, and we'll do our best, but I hate the idea of sneaking around."

"It is only for a few months, after that you may be back in school; ideally in Illinois." He smiled at her encouragingly. "At least promise me that you won't leave the Midwest."

"I mostly applied to schools in the region, including Northwestern and the University of Chicago in addition to Michigan and State. I won't go far."

"Thank you." He gave her a peck on the lips, he wanted to take it further but was afraid of losing his self control with his sister just upstairs. "I know you didn't do it just for me," he added, when she looked as though she was about to speak, "but thanks anyway. I could not stand to see you run off to New York of California," he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "especially not now, not knowing how you feel about me – how we feel about each other."

This time she initiated the kiss and made no attempt to keep it chaste. After a moment, she got tired of leaning over and stood up, re-seating herself directly on his lap. "I love you," she murmured against his lips as they began to kiss again.

It was several minutes before they stopped, Darcy reluctantly pulling his face away without removing his right hand from where it had migrated beneath her shirt.

"I need to take you home." He sounded as though he had never regretted anything more in his life.

"Why, do you have another date?" Elizabeth asked playfully as she extricated his hand from under her shirt and hopped off his lap.

"As a matter of fact I do, and it is a relationship of long-standing. Are you jealous now?" Her look showed only curiosity and amusement, so he sighed, mildly disappointed at her lack of jealousy, and continued. "I take Georgiana out to dinner every Thursday night."

"That's so sweet." Elizabeth pecked him on the cheek and skipped off. "I'm just going to go say goodbye to your sister, then you can take me home in that chick magnet car of yours."

-o-o-o-o-

As Darcy slowed to a stop in front of the Gardiner home, he silently vowed to control himself when it came to the goodbye kiss. It would not do to be caught making out in his car like a teenager. He told Elizabeth that they would be alone the next day, and his words were rife with extra meaning that held promise for both of them.

They agreed on a picnic in the park. They were both enjoying the beautiful spring weather, and Darcy knew that Elizabeth loved to be outdoors. He would not do anything to ruin their time together, and that included rushing her no matter how much he wanted to take her directly to his home and bed.

He walked her to the door and kissed her gently before bidding her farewell for the evening. Elizabeth was sad to see him leave, but knew that they both needed to spend time with their respective families. She headed inside to play with her little cousins and do her best not to think about him all night. She had never before been so happy to fail.


	37. Chapter 37

_At this point, if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-37

_Or through my profile here, click on my __**homepage**__._

_The word count difference for this chapter is pretty small, I'm not even sure what I removed, but the computer says it's different. As I noted before; you can generally tell how naughty my original chapter was by noting the variation in word count, so I will try to always tell you, even just so you know what you are missing :)_

**Chapter 37**

_Friday 11 May 2001_

That afternoon, when Darcy left work early, he was both excited and nervous about the evening ahead. He tried to tell himself not to get his expectations up, there were still things that could go wrong, but he could not help himself.

Having a bit of extra time and far too much nervous energy at his disposal, he went for a stroll around the block before heading to his car. As he walked, he decided that it might be nice to bring Elizabeth a gift that evening and just as the thought entered his mind, he came upon a conveniently located jewelry store. Darcy stood for a few moments, looking at the sparkling array in the window, then went inside. As he circled the store, looking from earrings to bracelets to necklaces, it occurred to him how crass buying her expensive jewelry on a date that he expected to last until the next morning might look. He had never thought about the way a gift might be construed before, but he had never been with anyone quite like Elizabeth either. Most of the women he dated expected gemstones as a rule, given his generally acknowledged net worth, but he was fairly certain that his current girlfriend had no such requirements. He shrugged off any concern about the gift's implications and thought only of how happy it would make him to give something beautiful to the woman he loved. Any smile she gave him in response would be more than worth the price.

Darcy tried to imagine every item in the store as it would look on Elizabeth. They had never discussed her preferences, but he was an observant man; he had noticed that all her jewelry was yellow gold, or at least coated to look like it he supposed, given her budget. The store seemed to lean in the platinum / white gold direction, which limited his options considerably. Finally, he had narrowed his choices down to a pair of emerald earrings that would bring out her eyes, and a ruby pendant that would compliment the striking reds he loved to see her wear. He considered buying both and saving one for later when a third item caught his eye.

For the rest of his life, Darcy would always wonder what wonderful thing he had done to deserve the Fates conspiring in his favor that day, but he was fairly certain that the culmination of his reward began with the man in the jewelry store placing a new collection on display while he was there. In a previously unoccupied glass box, the man put a set of rings, all unique in their own way, but one spoke to Darcy above all the others.

"I will take that one." He pointed decisively to a ring from the new display.

"I didn't know you were in the market for an engagement ring." The young lady who had been helping him looked surprised at his change in focus.

"I did not either until I saw it. These rings seem very different from the rest of your stock." He indicated the recently added display as he spoke.

"They're a part of our vintage ring collection."

Elizabeth loved antiques, and Darcy became even more sure that the ring from which he could not take his eyes was destined for her hand. It was perfect for her, one of only two yellow gold rings in the newly filled case, it had character. The diamond in the center was round and brilliant, but not particularly large by his standards, under two carats, the saleswoman told him. It was flanked on either side by emeralds that were each half as large.

He did not bother to ask the price before handing over his credit card. He realized, as it was polished and placed in a box for him that he did not know Elizabeth's ring size, but he was quickly assured that it could be resized at his lady's convenience.

-o-o-o-o-

With the tiny box weighing heavily in his pocket, Darcy went home, where he found Mrs. Reynolds busy at work preparing the picnic. There was a fancy-looking wicker basket on the table lined with elegant fabric and containing china he had never before seen. He had asked her to go all out in her preparations, but he had not expected her to buy such an expensive item just for the occasion. Not that he minded of course, Elizabeth was certainly worth it and he said as much to the housekeeper.

Mrs. Reynolds laughed in response. "I didn't buy it, your mother did."

"I do not remember seeing it as a child."

"It wasn't for you. She used to go on picnics with your father, sometimes in the park, sometimes in the backyard before they had the pool put in. It hasn't been used in fifteen years, now. When you told me about your plans for Miss Bennet, this seemed like the perfect occasion to get it out of storage. If you would rather not use it, I'm sure that I could find something else - "

"No, this is perfect." Darcy picked up a delicate plate, his fingers tracing the ivy pattern along the border. "Thank you." His eyes looked like they were in danger of misting over and Mrs. Reynolds patted him gently on the shoulder.

"She's very special to you isn't she? It seems like this is the real thing for you."

"Yes, I intend to keep her." He smiled as if in jest, but they both knew how serious he was.

"From what I've heard, she intends to keep you too."

"What have you heard and from whom?" Darcy asked sharply before answering his own question in a more even tone. "Georgie told you about yesterday."

"She doesn't know anything specific, but she's pretty sure that something was going on here before she came home unexpectedly. I think if she hadn't been invited to a sleepover tonight, she would've been asking around at school today looking for one to attend. Personally, I plan to disappear into my own home as soon as you leave with this." She replaced the china where it belonged and tucked a bottle into an insulated wine compartment in the basket.

"Mrs. Reynolds!" Darcy blushed at the implication being made by a woman who had known him for over two decades. She had been like a mother to him since he had lost his own, and now she was making suggestive comments regarding something about which he would like to pretend she did not know.

"Off you go then, I'll see you in the morning." She whistled merrily on her way out the door.

Darcy headed upstairs and spent what felt to him like an inordinate amount of time looking through his clothes before selecting gray slacks and a royal blue polo shirt. He had not been this nervous about a date since high school.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth spent her day in a different sort of manner. Although she was a bit nervous about what she expected to do that night, she was confident in her decision. She loved Darcy and believed him when he said he loved her. Even if this did not turn out to be a forever sort of relationship, although she certainly hoped it would, she saw no reason to regret her decision to lose her virginity to him.

Although she had left his house frustrated the night before, there had been a part of her that was relieved they had not gone any further than they did; Elizabeth had not shaved her legs for a few days. Although she doubted he had noticed in the heat of the moment, her bra had been a boring white full-coverage object that was practical but not alluring. It occurred to her that he might not have noticed what she was wearing at the time he was removing it, but he probably did now since she had left it at his house in her haste.

"Oh crap," she whispered to herself, "I hope Georgie doesn't find it."

She asked her aunt for a spa recommendation, then made a waxing appointment for that afternoon. It was something she had done rarely, but she figured if any occasion merited it, this one did. She spent the morning shopping. Although she had a dress that she thought would be appropriate for a nice picnic, she wanted her underwear to be special, since she fully expected him to see it. On Thursday, in addition to the embarrassing old-lady bra, she had been wearing a pair of navy blue jockeys that she discovered later that evening had a hole in them. As the list of unfortunate choices she had made the day before piled up, Elizabeth became increasingly grateful to Georgiana for interrupting them.

Having several hours to kill before her spa appointment, she wandered through Fredrick's of Hollywood, but decided that it was a little too racy for her and ended up, fairly predictably, at Victoria's Secret. She spent some time debating between black and red, even going so far as to ask the friendly looking saleswoman for advice. She wished Jane was with her for this particular shopping excursion. Eventually she settled on a red demi-bra with black lace trim and matching boyshorts panties.

Elizabeth then decided to go shoe shopping. Although it was not a favorite pastime of hers, she deemed it necessary that day. Darcy was significantly taller than she was and it was sometimes a detriment to kissing. She wanted no such problems this evening, especially such a simply solved one as a height difference. She had talked about wearing high heels more, but did not own many, so she went into Payless in search of black heeled sandals. As the shoes were in season, she was successful.

Pleased with her purchases, Elizabeth headed to the spa where she submitted to a moderately painful bikini wax. Now she just had to take a shower and finish getting ready for her very important date.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy rang the doorbell of the Gardiner house at exactly five o'clock, he had asked his chauffeur to circle the block a few times in order to arrive on time. It was a bit early for dinner, but they had limited time outdoors before the sunset. When Elizabeth answered the door, his breath caught in his throat. She wore a simple red cotton dress with short puffed sleeves and a full skirt that reached almost to her knees. She had a black sweater thrown over her arm and wore heels as she had kept promising she would. Although Darcy appreciated her attempt to make up their height difference, he appreciated even more the way the shoes made her legs look. She had to clear her throat twice before he sheepishly looked her in the eye.

He took her gently by the arm and led her to the gleaming black Town Car waiting for them at the curb. The man holding the door open was dressed in a black suit but did not, almost to Elizabeth's disappointment, wear a traditional chauffeur's hat. Darcy guided his lady into the car, then followed after her, choosing to seat himself in the middle of the bench seat when she slid all the way to the opposite window. After the uniformed man had returned to his seat in the front of the car, Darcy performed a quick introduction.

"Elizabeth, this is Goodrich, my driver. Goodrich, this is Elizabeth Bennet, the most beautiful woman in the world." He kissed her temple affectionately.

"Darcy," she admonished him with a giggle, "he can see that's not true."

An excellent diplomat, Goodrich smiled and said, "I can see nothing of the kind."

Elizabeth laughed out loud at this, and after thanking the near stranger for the compliment, she leaned against Darcy, who happily threw his left arm around her shoulders and laid his head on top of hers. They rode in comfortable silence during which Darcy's right hand stole across his body to take advantage of the short length of thigh exposed by the way her skirt rode up when she sat. His hand disappeared beneath her skirt a few times, but since he stayed in what she considered PG-13 territory, she made no move to stop him despite their not being fully alone.

Before too long, they arrived at their destination. Goodrich opened the door for them and Darcy exited first, taking Elizabeth by the hand to help her out. Ordinarily Elizabeth thought, this sort of behavior might annoy her, but she knew how much he wanted this date to be special and she could tell that this was his way of making her feel like a lady. In accordance with what she knew to to be his wishes, she went against her instincts and did not offer to carry any of the picnic supplies, although he quite had his hands full with the basket and could probably have used help with the folded blanket that seemed to want to slide off the top as he walked. He instructed the driver to expect a phone call in an hour or two, and asked Elizabeth to find a nice place to spread their picnic.

Selecting a flat, grassy area, Elizabeth helped him lay out the blanket, which was certainly a two person job, so he could not object to her help. It was a practical and impressive cloth. It had what appeared to be a waterproof but flexible backing, and was covered on the top with beautifully embroidered ivy leaves. Darcy had not used this particular blanket before, but was pleased to notice that it matched the plates he had seen earlier. Clearly this was also part of his parents' picnic set. Elizabeth commented on its appropriateness and his apparent need to label everything, indicating the hand-embroidered "Darcy" that appeared on each of the four corners.

"I would not want you to forget with whom you came." He smiled and slipped his arm around her waist.

She tilted her head up enough to kiss his chin, which she could just reach without help, thanks to her new heeled sandals. "Wait, what was your name again, Fitz something . . ."

He loved the way she said his first name and kissed her fiercely, heedless of any onlookers. Too quickly, she ended the kiss, more aware of their surroundings than he was, and led him to sit down on the blanket. He opened the picnic basket, and drew out the fine china and real silverware it contained. Elizabeth exclaimed in delight that this was already the fanciest picnic she had ever been on and she had not even seen the food yet.

The meal was a surprise to Darcy as well. There was a green salad to start, thinly sliced beef tenderloin dressed with green beans, and a selection of rolls for their main course; then strawberry shortcake for dessert. Darcy looked further into the basket and discovered two bottles of champagne, which had stayed chilled inside pockets.

-o-o-o-o-

They used only a few square feet of the blanket's generous area because they were nestled so closely together. Sunset was imminent by the time they finished off the champagne, still feeding each other bites of the delectable strawberry dessert.

They were sitting on the blanket kissing, when they were interrupted by a man wearing a headset.

"Would you like to be on TV?"

Darcy pulled away from Elizabeth at the rude interruption and responded curtly. "Not particularly."

"You two look like you're in love."

Darcy's look darkened, but Elizabeth decided to respond, it would not do to look bad on television, in case there was a hidden camera somewhere. Besides, she had drunk an entire bottle of champagne and had less inhibitions than normal. "We are."

"Great, we're doing a show on being in love and making decisions. Would you two like to get married?"

"What?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"Yes." Darcy surprised himself with his honesty.

"Awesome." The man walked back a few steps and spoke quietly into his headset microphone.

"What do you mean yes?" Elizabeth demanded of Darcy as soon as the strange man's back was turned.

"Are you saying that you don't want to marry me?"

"Well sure, maybe, eventually. Don't you think it's a little soon though?"

"I think we love each other and that is enough for me. In fact -" He stopped abruptly when he saw Oprah Winfrey*, a man in judicial robes, and what appeared to be an entire camera crew headed in their direction.

"I hear we finally have some takers for our show on being in love and impetuous." The famous woman seemed pleased to see them.

"What is going on here?" Darcy demanded, standing up. He pulled Elizabeth to her feet as well, and they stood there clutching each other as a large camera loomed at the edge of their picnic blanket.

It was Oprah who explained that they were looking for a couple who wanted to get married on the spur of the moment as part of a special they were planning on the things people do for love. There was a judge and the necessary paperwork to make everything legal.

Although Darcy generally did not care for publicity, he found himself caught up in the moment. It occurred to him that getting married could solve several problems at once. She would come live with him without setting any sort of negative example for Georgiana; he could pay for her further education so she would not have to worry about out of state tuition fees; and best of all, nobody could accuse him of taking advantage of an intern if she was already his wife. It did not occur to him that his judgment might be affected by the amount of champagne he had consumed, it seemed to him in the moment that he was thinking more clearly than he ever had.

Elizabeth looked around warily. "We can't get married now, I don't have a dress or a ring or -"

"The dress you're wearing now is beautiful. Sweetheart. And as for a ring," he pulled the jewelry box he had been carrying for hours out of his pocket, "will this one do?"

"Oh my God, you were going to propose to me?"

"I had not decided when to do it exactly, but this seems like an appropriate time." He shrugged in an elaborately nonchalant fashion, but the look in his eyes showed Elizabeth how much he meant what he said. When she hesitated, he dropped to one knee and held out the ring box in offering.

"Holy crap, you're serious. Okay then, I'm in."

A short civil ceremony later, they were man and wife. Still in a bit of a daze, they signed release forms and Darcy gave the producer his address and phone number in exchange for the promise of wedding photographs and a heads up before the segment was to air, which the man thought would not be for at least a month since they still had more footage to compile for the theme show.

-o-o-o-o-

The television crew left as the sun faded from the sky. Darcy called Goodrich to come get them, then set about packing up what was left of their picnic, allowing Elizabeth to help him as they passed the time in slightly stunned silence.

"Did that really just happen?" She ventured to ask.

"I believe it did." He gestured to the slim manila envelope sitting on top of the picnic basket. "I am fairly certain that is our marriage certificate."

"And Georgie's at a friend's house tonight?"

"Yes." His throat went dry at her implication.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go consummate this thing." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He dropped the blanket he had just finished folding and wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood there, kissing fervently for a few moments, before he let her go and stepped backward.

"We need to leave now before I consummate it right here."

Elizabeth laughed and threaded her arm through his as they walked to where Goodrich was waiting. Darcy stowed the basket and blanket in the trunk, but held tightly to the precious paperwork and carried the envelope with him into the backseat.

On the ride back to the house in the suburbs, they were inseparable. Elizabeth kept looking at the ring on her left hand and sighing happily. Darcy intertwined his fingers with hers, and noticed how the ring spun loosely around her finger.

"We can get it fixed tomorrow. I am sorry that I didn't know your ring size."

"How would you have known? Even if you'd called Jane, she couldn't have helped you. I've never had a ring before, not since I was young enough to wear the adjustable kind. I'm glad it's too big, that's better than too small; at least it was usable this evening."

"Thank heaven for small miracles, I suppose."

"This whole thing is kind of surreal, I can't believe you just happened to have a ring in your pocket. How long have you had it?"

"I only bought it today, I was not originally planning to propose, but I saw the ring and thought of you."

"It's perfect. I love that it's not too big and flashy, I mean, I'm sure it's bigger than most people's but it's not compared to other – never mind, you know what I mean. Anyway, I also love that the side stones are emeralds instead of more diamonds."

"They reminded me of your eyes." That comment earned him a kiss that lasted until the car pulled into the garage.

"What about the picnic basket?" She protested as he led her into the house without a backward look.

"I'll bring it inside before I go home for the night." Goodrich offered. He had tried not to eavesdrop on the couple, but with all the talk of a diamond ring, it seemed to him that they had gotten engaged that night and he certainly did not want anything to interfere with their happiness.

"Thank you," was the last thing he heard from his boss before the man disappeared up the stairs with his lady friend in tow, having left the curious envelope on the kitchen counter. Goodrich could see that it was unsealed, but managed to tamp down his curiosity, and left the basket and blanket in the kitchen before locking the garage door behind him and heading to his own adjacent apartment alone.

_-x-x-x-x-_

_I admit that the whole marriage thing is a little ludicrous, but I recently watched the Will & Grace episode _"Marry Me A Little, Marry Me A Little More" _and was inspired by it. _

_*I know this does not seem like the sort of thing that Oprah would do, but I chose her show because it shoots in Chicago. Just go with it, artistic license and all that jazz. Obviously everything I had her do is totally made up and I am sorry for inserting a real person into my fanfiction (especially in such an unlikely manner) but it seemed like just the sort of thing the characters needed and it was simpler than making up a whole new character and having to explain him or her._

**Wow, this chapter took a bit of a turn, didn't it? I hope you're all not too disappointed in me for changing things up so much after chapters of (what I consider to be) moderately faithful retelling, but where's the fun in going on with that?**

**Also, I know that some of you are probably clamoring for the next chapter (the wedding night) soon. At least I flatter myself to think you are. I am finding that one to be more of a challenge to edit down to a T rating, given the subject matter. If you leave me a review, that might encourage me to work faster, you know :)**


	38. Chapter 38

_Okay, I guess there were enough reviews to motivate me._

_At this point, if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-38

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_Wow, without the most naughty of bits, the wedding night chapter is only about half as many words as it was originally!_

_This chapter being about what it's about, stuff definitely happens here. I deleted any graphic descriptors and many of the details, but there is still some grown-up talk. Like I said, this is rated for teens, not kids; so if you can see it on broadcast television in prime time, I figure I can put it here._

_I sincerely hope that I do not offend anybody, but I do not think I can remove any more without threatening the integrity of the story. I hope that everybody feels that they can continue to read it and I appreciate any kind of review. (Of course, I prefer encouragement, but I welcome constructive criticism as well.) I am especially nervous about how the naughty version of my story seems, I have never written anything like that before, so if you read the off-site version and have an opinion about it (one way or the other, really) please leave me a review, there are a few options on my site as to how to do that.  
_

**Chapter 38**

_Friday 11 May 2001 _(still)

Darcy and Elizabeth barely managed to make it up the stairs before they began kissing again.

"What, no tour, Fitzwilliam?" She asked teasingly between kisses as he walked her backward a few steps until she hit a wall, which they kissed against as he lifted her into his arms. He turned and carried her the short distance to his bedroom, where he had left the door conveniently open upon his departure that afternoon.

"I'll give you a tour of the bed." He offered, dropping her abruptly onto the aforementioned furniture and enjoying the way she bounced in the soft light of his bedside lamp.

Elizabeth laughed and undid the buckles of her shoes under his intense gaze as she continued to bait him. "But it's so early, it can't possibly be bedtime yet." She shrugged off her sweater and dropped it, along with her purse, on top of her shoes on the floor.

She raised herself up on her knees so that she could look her still standing man in the eye and suggested that he join her in her rapidly increasing state of undress. He joined her on the bed and they began kissing. "Now that's more like it, but you're still wearing shoes." She complained as he nibbled her earlobe. "That feels good – don't stop!" She protested when he pulled away abruptly.

"I can only do one thing at a time, Elizabeth," he gave her a facetiously patronizing look, "and you asked me to remove my shoes." He sat on the edge of the bed doing as she had requested.

Elizabeth blinked a few times as if processing the situation, then used her brief reprieve to take in her surroundings. She sluggishly rose from the bed and headed toward the door.

"You're not trying to escape are you?" Darcy gave her a wolfish grin as he threw his socks carelessly on the floor and stalked after her.

"I just wanted to close the door. I mean I know we're all alone in the house, but what if -"

"An excellent idea." He cut her off as he grabbed her from behind and reached around her to push the door shut. "Just in case" he agreed before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her back to the bed. This time, he placed her on the bed gently, and she did not remove her arms from around his neck, drawing him down with her as they continued to kiss.

The bed was still made, and neither participant made any move to get under the sheets. Once they were mostly undressed, Elizabeth noticed that the briefs he wore were black and was amused that their apparel now matched better than in their wedding photo. She drew his attention to her attire.

"I bought underwear especially for this occasion, and you'd better appreciate it before you take it off of me."

"I do appreciate it, Sweetheart, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and you have excellent taste in lingerie."

"That's all I needed to hear." They finished undressing and regarded each other with undisguised interest.

"Lizzy, my love," Darcy whispered against her stomach.

Elizabeth sighed in pleasure. It was the first time he had ever called her by her nickname and she liked the way it sounded in his lust-roughened baritone. They took their time with foreplay, but soon Darcy was ready to move on to the main event.

"Wait!" She drew in quick shallow breaths.

"What? Why?" He could not possibly fathom what would make her stop him at this point. She could not doubt that he loved her, and he was sure she loved him back. She certainly did not seem shy about her body. He struggled to sit up anyway to see what it was she needed.

"We need a condom," she whispered hoarsely.

His mouth moved faster than his brain when he responded. "We're married."

She rolled her eyes impatiently as her breathing began to even out. "Just go get one."

"I thought the point of being married was not to need those things anymore."

"Really, you want to fight about this now?" She sat up and glared at him with disbelief. "There are so many things wrong with that sentence I don't even know where to begin."

He decided that she was right, an argument was certainly not what he wanted at that moment. He reached over to his nightstand and opened the drawer, swearing loudly when he encountered an empty box. "I cannot believe I didn't think to buy any, I saw the box this morning and assumed it was . . ." He trailed off in despair as he considered the possible repercussions of his neglect.

"Wow, you'd think you were the virgin here, hand me my purse."

Darcy retrieved the large black object from the floor next to the bed and sat awkwardly as she rooted through it. He was wary of making her angrier at him and a bit afraid of being exiled from his own bedroom on his wedding night.

Elizabeth gave a cry of victory and held up a small packet before tossing her purse back on the floor. "Okay, where were we?"

He thought about the broken mood and briefly considered starting over from the beginning, but when she reached out her arms and grabbed him around the neck, he knew it was not necessary. With Elizabeth's encouragement, he made her his lover and his wife.

"You know," he said after she had passionately called out his name, "I am in danger of liking that name, the way you say it."

"Mmm, Fitzwilliam." She stretched out and smiled, batting her eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

He laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "I will be right back, Sweetheart." He strode quickly to the bathroom.

By the time he returned to his bedroom, or their bedroom now he supposed, she had turned down the bed, gotten between the sheets and shut off the light.

"Elizabeth, it is barely ten o'clock. You said yourself that it was not yet bedtime."

"Yeah, but that was before you wore me out. Come under the covers and take a nap with me."

"What about that tour you wanted?"

"It can wait." When he complied with her demand, Elizabeth snuggled up next to him. Having slept poorly the night before, possibly in anticipation of this moment, or rather the last several, Darcy found it easier than he had expected to drift off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

It was a few hours later when she woke up to the strange feeling of being entwined with another person. Darcy was quick to wake as well when he felt her move.

"Please, Lizzy, my love, tell me you have another condom in that bag."

She did not not, so they had to make do with less intimacy than before. Still, he held his arms out to her, and she fell into them happily.

"I love you so much Elizabeth, I cannot even begin to tell you . . ." He could not express himself in words and so, settled for looking at her adoringly.

She sat up and moved away from him, turning on the light by the bed. "I'm totally awake now, and a little hungry. How about a snack? I seem to have worked up an appetite." She reached for her dress on the floor.

"Don't put that back on!" He protested when she prepared to step into it.

"We can't just walk around the house naked."

He conceded that she was probably right, but remained insistent that she not get fully dressed again. He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of what she referred to as "old man" pajamas, the kind that matched and had a buttoned shirt. He rolled his eyes, and pulled on the pants of the set, tossing her the top she had mocked.

"Just a shirt?" She asked as she put it on. With her arms at her sides, it covered her to mid-thigh. Alright, come on." After opening the bedroom door, she headed toward the stairs, where she paused to fake a loud yawn while stretching her arms over her head, giving him a bit of a show.

Darcy lunged forward to grab her and she laughed as she hurried down the steps and into the kitchen with him hot on her heels.

-o-o-o-o-

They were pleased to find that Mrs. Reynolds had made extra strawberry shortcake and left it in the refrigerator. Darcy served them each a bowl, and they sat down at the table to enjoy it.

"Not that I wish to resurrect an argument, but why the need for protection? I know I expressed myself poorly earlier, but what I meant was that within a marriage, we trust each other. I can promise you that I am perfectly healthy."

Elizabeth looked at him incredulously. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am, I have been to the doctor recently, and -"

"No, I believe you about that, I meant the reason for condoms. Don't the words 'birth control' mean anything to you?"

"Are you trying to tell me you do not want to have children?"

"Of course not, I love kids, you know that. I'm telling you that, married or not, I'm not ready for them at this point in my life. Did you really not even think about birth control when we were together?"

"To be honest, I have to admit that it did not occur to me." Darcy looked sheepish. "My official excuse is that I was too distracted to think clearly. I just assumed that we are married and so . . ." He tried again, "I realize now that with your limited experience - " She glared at him and he went for a third tactic. "You did plan for tonight though, with your lingerie shopping for example."

"Yeah, but I just went shopping this morning, I wasn't really thinking about it at my last doctor's appointment. Besides, I'm pretty sure what you expected to happen tonight and you didn't exactly know we'd be married, so you're not really one to talk about planning." She looked at him in an accusatory manner.

"I had no idea that box was empty, it has been a while since I had to buy anything of that sort. The last time was before I met you."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you thought to buy jewelry but not prophylactics. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that I've considered it, and you won't need them that much longer, I just need to make a doctor's appointment so I can get on the pill. The after-school specials I used to watch insist that we should discuss our histories before taking such a step, I suppose that means you're going to have to tell me about all the women you dated before me. Can I count that high?"

"I promise you Elizabeth, little Steven can count that high."

"That doesn't say much, he's the best counter in his preschool." She smiled though and the serious mood was broken. They flirted their way through the rest of the dessert that Mrs. Reynolds had prepared, feeding it to each other in turns.

When they headed back up the stairs, Darcy was sure to take with him the marriage certificate. He would not mention it to Elizabeth yet, but he was a bit dubious about its legality, and made a mental note to deliver it to his attorney on Monday for review.

They agreed that it had gotten late and fell asleep snuggled together in bed.


	39. Chapter 39

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-39

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_Instead of a vague word difference, I think I will switch to percentages, 93% of the original chapter is intact here (by which I mean there are 7% less words here than in my google site version; I did a little rewriting, but most stuff is just cut)._

**Chapter 39**

_Saturday 12 May 2001_

Elizabeth woke up the next morning and was confused for a moment before everything came flooding back to her. Suddenly the unfamiliar bedroom and the hairy arm around her waist made sense.

"Oh my God," she moaned softly, "I can't believe that actually happened."

"I know," came a contented sounding voice from behind her, "I am a little afraid to open my eyes and have you disappear."

"No, it's real." Elizabeth assured him. "If it wasn't, my head wouldn't hurt so much. Stupid champagne."

"Are you alright?" He sat up abruptly, concerned about her.

"It's nothing a shower and gallon of coffee can't fix." She sat up slowly and looked at the clothes strewn about the room. "I am not looking forward to putting that dress back on, it just screams 'walk of shame'."

"I will go see if Georgie has something you can borrow."

"I doubt it, I'm fatter and shorter than your sister."

"Elizabeth, there are many things I can say with certainty, one of which is that you are not fat."

"Compared to people like Georgie and Jane I feel like it sometimes, but thank you."

"I don't believe it." He turned her around so he could look into her eyes. "You were so confident with your body last night, you must know how beautiful you are."

"I remember reading something once about how it doesn't matter what flaws you think you have, when a guy sees you naked, he's too excited to care."

"If you had any flaws, that might be true."

She could not help but kiss him at that moment. "You're so cute. Besides, it doesn't take that much alcohol to loosen me up."

He grabbed her wrist so that she would not get out of the bed and asked what felt like the most difficult question of his life. "Are you saying that last night only happened because you were drunk?" The five seconds before she formulated a response seemed to last interminably in his mind.

"I wasn't totally drunk, just . . . less than sober, my inhibitions went on vacation. I didn't do anything I shouldn't have. Well, mostly anyway."

Darcy felt the blood in his veins turn to ice as he choked out a request to explain.

"I mean I don't regret sleeping with you, I'd obviously planned on it even before the champagne, but maybe we shouldn't have gotten married so fast." Suddenly she stopped looking at him and stared at her empty hands. "Oh no! Where's my ring?" She dove beneath the covers and returned victorious a minute later. "Thank God, I would hate to have lost it. Will you put it back on me?"

"You seem pretty concerned about your ring for someone who does not want to be married." He ignored the proffered ring and turned away from her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't put words in my mouth, I never said I didn't want to be married, I just think we shouldn't have done it quite so quickly. I'm being totally and possibly brutally honest with you because I don't believe in lying in relationships. If I hadn't had as much champagne as I did, I probably wouldn't have gotten caught up in the romance of the moment and would've suggested we wait a bit. That being said, it was terribly romantic and we are married now and we do love each other, so I think we should try to make it work. Also, I need to get this ring resized." She wrapped her arms around him from behind, "I would ask if you don't want to be married, but you're the one who talked me into it, plus you had the ring already, plus you're on the verge of a temper tantrum at the merest hint that I don't want this, so I feel pretty safe in saying you want to make it work too."

"More than anything." He lifted her hands from where they were clasped on his chest and kissed them reverently. He turned them over and pried her left hand open to reveal the ring she was holding in her palm, tenderly sliding it back where it belonged. "I would love nothing more than to never have to take you home again."

"Speaking of which, I need you to take me home."

"What?" He spun around to look at her and was relieved to note the twinkle in her eyes that meant she was teasing him. "This is your home now, right?" He sounded abnormally vulnerable, so she reassured him seriously.

"Of course it is, Fitzwilliam. I'll come and live here with you and Georgie and someday our children. At the moment though, I've been living out of a suitcase at my aunt and uncle's house and I don't have any clean clothes here at all. Plus, we need to go to the drugstore because this seems like a really good time to comfort each other physically, but somebody who shall remain nameless neglected to buy condoms."

He laughed and stood up. "You go take a shower, I am going to see if my sister has any clothes that might fit you."

-o-o-o-o-

When she came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, he was sitting on the bed waiting for her.

"I definitely need my own toiletries here. Now I smell like Old Spice, which works for you, but I prefer girlier soap. Also, you don't even have conditioner." She had chosen not to wash her hair because of this, and it was tied in a knot on top of her head.

Darcy only smiled in response to her rant and held out what he had found in Georgiana's closet – a pair of elastic-waist palazzo pants and a blue tee shirt that he knew to be a bit baggy on his thin sister.

"Thanks, I'll give them a try." She kissed him all too briefly. "It's your turn in the shower, I'm going to go see what there is to eat downstairs. Strawberry shortcake is delicious, but not particularly nutritious."

-o-o-o-o-

When Darcy headed down the stairs later, he was surprised to hear two voices. After her embarrassingly suggestive talk the day before, he had fully expected Mrs. Reynolds to come in late that morning.

In the kitchen he was greeted by the sight of his housekeeper making pancakes and entertaining Elizabeth with stories about his childhood antics as his wife drank from a large mug of coffee.

He poured his own mug and had just taken a seat at the kitchen table when he heard the front door open.

"Georgie?" He asked, moving to greet her. "You're home early."

"Yeah, Kelly's dad showed up and started arguing with her mom about custody or alimony or something. Anyway, it got weird, so Jenny gave me a ride home." They had made their way into the kitchen by this point. "Oh, hi Lizzy." She looked up at her brother, then back to the woman sitting at the table wearing her borrowed clothes. "I'm interrupting something again, aren't I?"

"Not unless I am too." Georgiana had never been so relieved to hear the housekeeper's voice.

"Now that you are home Georgie, Elizabeth and I have something to tell you. We did something last night."

"Oh my God, I so don't need to hear about that!" The teenager squeaked in alarm as she clapped her hands over her ears. She could not believe what her brother was about to announce to her.

"Actually you do, you both do." Elizabeth stood and looked at Mrs. Reynolds to make sure they had her full attention, she need not have worried. "Go ahead," she encouraged her husband.

"Elizabeth and I got married last night."

"You did what?"

"Congratulations!" Mrs. Reynolds dropped her spatula onto the stove in her surprise and hurried to hug both her employer and his new wife.

"Oh yeah, that too, but how could you not even tell me you were engaged?" Georgiana did not look angry, but she was clearly hurt by her exclusion from her only brother's wedding. "Am I going to be an aunt?" She asked timidly.

The housekeeper bit her lip in anticipation of the response. She had the same question, but was afraid to pose it.

"Not anytime soon, it wasn't about that at all. We weren't engaged anyway, we just sort of skipped that part." Elizabeth assured her with a comforting arm around the young woman's shoulders. "I promise if we'd known more than three minutes in advance, we'd have invited you. It was surreal, Oprah was there."

"No!"

"I swear she was." Georgiana looked to Darcy for confirmation of this amazing fact, then listened with rapt attention as her new sister-in-law told the very weird story of her surprise nuptials.

"Oh my God, I can't wait to see it on TV!" the teenager gushed.

"Yeah, that probably won't happen for a little while, I guess they need to do some editing, and tape other stuff for a theme show. Anyway, could you do us a favor and not tell anybody for a little while? You know I start work at Pemberley on Monday and it might be a little weird for me if the other interns know that I'm married to the boss."

Darcy's attention was piqued by Elizabeth's bid for secrecy. He had had the opposite thought about their marriage, that it would allow them to be open about their relationship despite her employment at his company. He was about to ask her to elaborate on her plan, when he realized that she was still talking to his sister.

"I'm sorry I borrowed your clothes without asking, since the marriage was a spur of the moment thing, I hardly had my stuff all packed up and ready to move."

"It's no problem Lizzy, we're sisters now, my closet is your closet."

"Thanks, but I think I've already borrowed everything you have that might fit me. Actually wait, I do have one more thing to ask – you don't wear size seven shoes do you?"

"I wear a six, but I bet my flip flops will fit you. Don't tell me Will dragged you home barefoot?"

Elizabeth laughed. "No, I was just hoping I wouldn't have to put my heels back on. I think they'll be fine though, thanks for the offer."

Breakfast was a delightful family affair, and Darcy felt that his house was warmer than it had been in years. He was certainly looking forward to Elizabeth living with them, but he could not get what she had said about secrecy out of his mind.

-o-o-o-o-

After they finished eating, Darcy drove Elizabeth to the Gardiners' home to collect her belongings.

On the way, Darcy asked why she felt it necessary to keep their relationship a secret as long as possible.

"It's the same reason that I didn't want people at Pemberley to know we were dating. I don't want to be the intern who's sleeping with the big boss, married or not. In fact, this is worse."

"Worse?" He choked on the word.

"Not worse in the big picture of course, stop being so insecure all of a sudden, it's not like you. I just meant it looks worse for me to the other interns."

"How so?"

"Well, before I was just dating you, maybe I was trying to sleep my way to the top or seduced by your power; but now I'm your wife who may have made you give me a job so I can keep an eye on you at work."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"Please Fitzwilliam, just give it some time. Can we try it my way for a couple of weeks? We should have at least that long before the show gets aired." People could get to know me without prejudice then.

He heaved a sigh. "Alright, I suppose I understand what you mean, but I hate lying to everybody."

"It's not everybody and it's not forever, I promise." She stroked his arm affectionately. "I love you."

"I love you too."

There was another silence before she posed a question that she realized she should have asked months before. "Does Pemberley have a non-fraternization policy?"

"Not officially, although the human resources manager has recently recommended adopting one between superiors and subordinates, for legal reasons. I have the company lawyer looking into drafting something. Why?"

"Really, why?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him in an exasperated fashion. "Maybe you could not adopt anything official until September."

"Of course." He completely understood her reasoning once he thought about it.

-o-o-o-o-

Once they arrived at the townhouse in Wrigleyville, they had a conversation with her aunt and uncle that was reminiscent of the one with Georgiana earlier that morning.

"Please don't tell my parents either, I need to break this to them in person." Elizabeth added earnestly.

It took Elizabeth a while to pack her things because she had not expected to be vacating her temporary living space so quickly. It had not taken long for her toiletries to spread themselves all over the bathroom and her clothes to migrate into the laundry room.

Darcy watched her carefully as she collected her belongings, watching for indications of doubt or fear, knowing that even if she would not lie to him on purpose, she might be deluding herself. The only sign of wistfulness she showed was when hugging her cousins goodbye, but she did not hide her thoughts from him at all.

"Promise me we can see them often."

"Of course Sweetheart, as often as you like."

"I was going to spend the summer here with them, I'll miss that."

"You won't need to, I promise. Georgiana has already been babysitting for them on a regular basis. Perhaps we could have the boys over to our house instead, then we could all spend time together." A shiver of pleasure ran down his spine as he referred to the house as theirs. Elizabeth was his forever, and there were no words to describe how grateful he was for that.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and he hugged her close, now he never had to let her go.

On the way home, they stopped at a drugstore to buy prophylactics. It amused Darcy to see how nervous Elizabeth was to make the purchase.

"I've never done this before." She explained when he pointed out the humor of such a confident woman being shy.

"Where did you get the last one?"

"They give them away at the student health clinic. You know, maybe you should buy the damn condoms!" She thrust the box at him and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

It had been fun at first to watch her squirm, but he had no real desire to antagonize the woman he loved, so Darcy quickly acquiesced. After the sale was complete, he was eager to return to the home they now shared to spend the afternoon alone with his wife.


	40. Chapter 40

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-40

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 96% intact._

**Chapter 40**

_Saturday 12 May 2001 _(still)

Elizabeth's desire to tell her family the big news in person necessitated an immediate visit to Ann Arbor. They discussed it over lunch, and although his libido complained of the delay, Darcy agreed that it was best to go immediately. They would take his SUV so that there would be plenty of room to transport anything she wanted to move to Chicago.

Darcy went upstairs to pack an overnight bag while Elizabeth made a quick phone call to the Bennet house to warn them of her impending arrival, although she neglected to mention her guest. She insisted on changing into clean underwear and her own clothes, but before long Darcy was behind the wheel and they were on their way to Michigan.

They had several hours alone in the car, and Elizabeth was determined to get to know her new husband better. They made good use of their time trading stories of their childhoods and sharing previously unknown tidbits about their lives.

They agreed not to mention the television show to her family, that would only make it more difficult for her gossip-hungry mother to keep their marriage to herself for the time-being. They would describe their marriage as only a "spur of the moment" thing and leave any details to be explained later.

Although she was confident in her decision to make her marriage to Darcy work, Elizabeth was terrified of her family's reaction to the news. When they pulled into the driveway of her childhood home, her heart was racing in anticipation. For the second time in as many days, she uncharacteristically waited in the car until Darcy came around to open her door and did not move immediately even when he took her hand to help her down from her high perch.

"Is it really such bad news that you married me?" He asked, concerned.

"No of course not, it's just. . ." She allowed him to hand her out of the car, then buried her face in his chest. "I'm afraid of what my dad will say. I mean, I know my mom will be ridiculous, but you know to take her with a grain – well a whole shaker of salt. My dad on the other hand . . ."

"It will be alright, Sweetheart." He stroked her hair affectionately.

"I love you." She seemed to gain strength every time she said it.

"I love you too." He did not fear sounding like a broken record and she relished the reassurance.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth hesitated again once they reached the front door. She made a move as if to knock, then thought better of it and retrieved the key from her purse. She held the key in her hand for a moment, looking from it to doorbell indecisively.

"This is still your family home Elizabeth, go ahead and let yourself into it."

She was grateful for the encouragement, and took a deep breath before doing as he suggested.

The sound of the door opening brought the youngest Bennets running.

"What did you bring me?" Kitty and Lydia asked almost simultaneously.

"What? Nothing, I wasn't on vacation, I just came back to get my stuff."

"What's he doing here?" Lydia demanded rudely glaring at Darcy. She had never quite forgiven him for interfering in her plans with Wickham.

"He's with me. Is Dad here?"

"Yeah, in his study like always. He'll be out in a minute though, Mom just said that dinner's ready."

"Wow," Elizabeth exclaimed, impressed, "she has excellent timing." She grabbed her husband by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen to greet her mother.

"Oh, you brought a guest." Mrs. Bennet seemed unusually calm. "Are you staying for dinner, Darcy?"

"Yes Mom, he is." Elizabeth answered before he had a chance. "We came in here to grab another place setting."

"Of course, go ahead, you know where everything is. Dinner will be out in just a minute."

Elizabeth pulled a plate out of the cupboard and placed a knife and fork on it before handing it to Darcy. She then grabbed a glass, which she carried herself, still pulling him along by the hand. He wondered momentarily at her intense need for the emotional support provided by hand-holding until he realized that she was using him to hide her left hand from her mother. It made him happy to think that she would rather go to silly lengths to conceal her ring than take it off, even temporarily. He assumed that she wanted to make an announcement to the entire family at once about their marriage and she was not planning to conceal it indefinitely; at least he hoped that was the case.

Together, they added his place setting to the dining table and took their seats. Darcy was relieved that Mary sat across from him. Although he had little to say to her, at least he would not be forced to look at Lydia's scowling face throughout the meal.

Eventually, the entire Bennet family was seated at the table, and they began to serve themselves. The meal proceeded without incident for several minutes as the family made small talk and concentrated on their casserole.

Elizabeth ate as best she could with one hand, keeping her left hidden under the table, and Darcy stroked it with his right periodically between bites, waiting for her to either make their announcement or encourage him to do so.

Eventually, the opportunity arose. Attempting to make conversation, Jane addressed Darcy from her position on the other side of Elizabeth. "Are you planning to stay at Charles's house tonight? He's out of the country for a couple of weeks, so I know it's empty."

Although Darcy was certain of the answer to her question, he was unsure as to whether Elizabeth wanted for him to answer it yet, his response would necessitate further explanation. Fortunately, it appeared to be just the push she needed, and she answered definitively.

"No, Darcy's staying here tonight."

"Oh!" Mrs. Bennet reacted first. "I don't know if we have room, but I'm sure we can figure something out." Her brow furrowed in confusion at his choice, but she decided not to inquire as to his reasons.

"There's plenty of space," Elizabeth plowed forward boldly, "he's staying with me in my room."

If Darcy expected chaos at her claim, he was disappointed. Mrs. Bennet looked taken aback but did not speak; Kitty and Lydia tittered lightly as they whispered to each other; it was only Dr. Bennet who reacted openly. "I am not sure that is entirely appropriate. I know you are an adult, but think about the example -"

"Yes it is Daddy." Elizabeth raised her left hand from beneath the table, not yet displaying her ring, grabbing her husband's hand in hers. "We got married yesterday."

That announcement did cause chaos to erupt at the Bennet table. The teenagers continued their whispering, but with louder giggles apparent. Mary held her father by the arm as he leapt to his feet in an attempt to dissuade him from from doing anything rash. Mrs. Bennet also rose, but left the table and started walking in small circles about the room and making nonsensical comments such as "Oh my stars!" and "Mercy me!".

Only Jane seemed speechless, she grasped her newly married sister's free hand and waited for Elizabeth to look her way.

When she did take her attention from her husband and glance over at her eldest sister, it almost broke Elizabeth's heart. Jane smiled encouragingly, but her eyes held sadness and her sister suspected the reason why.

"Jane, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course." The two sisters rose and after disentangling her hand from Darcy's, Elizabeth led her sister toward the stairs.

The movement of her hand caused her diamond to catch the light, and suddenly she was accosted by the other female members of her family clamoring to get a good look at her ring.

Dr. Bennet used the distraction to demand a private word with his new son-in-law, and after a wistful look at his now very put-upon wife, the younger man agreed and they headed out of the dining room.

Darcy was only sorry he had not left faster when he heard Lydia ask why Elizabeth had not demanded a bigger rock from "such a rich bastard" and his mother-in-law squeal in delight as she voiced her realization that there had been no prenuptial agreement.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy followed the reticent man through the kitchen and into his study at the back of the house. He took the only guest seat in the cramped area, and waited expectantly for Dr. Bennet to begin. They sat in silence for some time. Eventually, Darcy realized that no interrogation was forthcoming and decided to take the conversation into his own hands.

"I assume you did not bring me here to ask me about my intentions." He tried to smile despite the uncomfortable nature of the conversation.

"That is exactly the subject I wished to discuss."

"I should think that would be obvious. I have only the most honorable intentions. I already married Elizabeth and I plan to spend the rest of my life making her happy."

"I wish to know your intentions regarding her future." The older man sounded patronizing, which did not please Darcy at all, and his own voice took on a rare sarcastic tone.

"I intend for her to spend it with me."

Dr. Bennet gave an exasperated sigh and rephrased his question. "What do you expect her to do with her career?"

"Whatever makes her happy, I suppose."

"I doubt you will allow her to continue her education as she had planned and I am sure a man like you could not have his wife working in such a lowly position as she was offered this summer."

"What do you mean, 'a man like' me? We have already discussed her internship at Pemberley, and of course Elizabeth wants to retain it. I would never try to stop her from doing something that makes her happy. She asked me to keep our marriage quiet for the time being so that she can be treated like all the other interns for as long as possible, and I respect her wishes."

"Can you continue to respect her wishes? When she wants to forward her education, will you be comfortable telling people that your wife is a student? Will you allow her to work if she want to do so? I understand that most of the women in your social circle are constrained to fundraisers and country clubs if they wish to leave the house." He rose from his seat as he heaped accusations upon his guest.

"You know nothing about me or my 'social circle'." Darcy stood angrily, unwilling to give his father-in-law the undeserved advantage of height. He had tried to control himself for Elizabeth's sake, but he was being pushed past his limits of tolerance.

Dr. Bennet hardly seemed to hear the other man as he continued to rant. "Even if you do allow her to work, I am sure you will insist that she leave her job as soon as you have children." Suddenly he dropped back into his own chair as if struck. "That is what this is about, she is already pregnant. That explains why you got married so quickly." He turned from angry to horrified. "How could you do that to my daughter?"

Darcy sat down as well, hoping that once he reassured the man, they could get along for the sake of the young woman they both loved. "Sir, I assure you, Elizabeth is not currently pregnant. Someday, when we do have children, I promise that she will be allowed to make whatever choice best suits her. You know that I – we," he corrected himself, "have plenty of money. She will not have to worry about saving to pay for school. She will always have choices, she can afford to either quit her job entirely to devote herself to raising our family, or we can hire a nanny if she prefers to remain on her career path. Either way, she will not have to choose for some time because, as I stated before, we are not presently expecting a child."

"If that is the case, why did you get married so suddenly? My Lizzy is too rational to do such a thing without a reason."

Darcy hesitated. "There is a bit more to the story, but Elizabeth was afraid that given her mother's penchant for gossip, if we reveal it now, we will be unable to keep our marriage quiet long enough for her to settle into her internship. I would hate to ask you to keep a secret from your wife."

Dr. Bennet could not help but laugh at the earnestness in the young man's expression. "When you have been married as long as I have, you learn that there are some things that are better kept to yourself. I can keep a secret from Fran quite easily and I will not be able to rest until I have heard some sort of plausible explanation for my daughter's behavior.

Darcy explained the events of Friday, from his visit to the jewelry store through the moment when the film crew took their leave. At the man's disbelieving look, he grudgingly added Elizabeth's admission that the champagne had influenced her decision.

"So you are telling me that you took advantage of my daughter's inebriated state?" Dr. Bennet's ire was rising again.

"No, of course not. She was not too drunk to make decisions, she described it as just tipsy enough to get caught up in the romance of the moment. We discussed it afterward, and she promised me that she is happy with the result." At his father-in-law's dubious look, he made one final statement. "Look, Dr. Bennet, I can sit here and explain myself all night and you will still only believe that which you think you know. All I can do is swear to you that I wish for nothing more than your daughter's happiness, and I truly believe that she is happy with me. Now, I can only hope that you will take me at my word."

With that, Darcy stood and exited the study. He left the house briefly to get his overnight bag from the car before heading upstairs to his wife's childhood bedroom.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth had been kept from a private talk with Jane by the entreaties of her mother and other sisters who wanted to know as much as possible about her ring and quick marriage. She did her best to tell the story, omitting all mention of cameras or anyone famous, which made the tale rather nonsensical.

Mrs. Bennet made the same assumption her husband did, but expressed herself in a very different manner. She congratulated her newly married daughter on finding a way to marry her wealthy beau without a long waiting period or a pesky prenuptial agreement and was over the moon at the thought of an impending grandchild.

After insisting repeatedly that she was not pregnant, Elizabeth eventually gave up on the subject and instead tried to explain why it was important to keep her marriage quiet for the time being. Although her mother did not seem to comprehend why she would choose to attempt anonymity in a low-level position when her husband ran the company, she agreed not to tell anyone about the marriage for the duration of the summer. Although Elizabeth had her doubts that her mother would be able to keep her promise, she supposed that a few weeks were really all she had anyway before the segment was to air.

Once she had secured the same vow from her younger sisters, Elizabeth once again grabbed Jane's hand and led her upstairs so that they could continue their getaway and have a private chat.

They sat together on Elizabeth's bed in silence for a moment before Jane blurted out a question that had been burning inside her since the big announcement.

"How could you get married without me, Lizzy?" She sounded genuinely hurt, and gave her sister a wide-eyed stare until she was enveloped in a fierce hug.

"Oh Janey, I'm so sorry! You know I didn't plan it. No one was there, not Georgie or Aunt Maddie. It was a horrible idea to get married without any family around us."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Okay, I'll tell you the real story, but you have to promise not to tell Mom, not yet. She's going to find out eventually but if she knew now, there is no way she'd be able to keep her mouth shut about it. There was one person there we recognized, but she wasn't someone we knew . . ." Elizabeth launched into the possibly even less believable true story of her wedding, including a short, sanitized version of the wedding night. Payback, she supposed, for the girl talk they had shared about Jane's relationship.

Elizabeth promised her sister that one day they would have a lavish vow renewal and there was only one candidate for maid of honor. They were discussing fairy tale wedding plans and giggling like little girls when Darcy knocked on the door and entered the room.

Jane hugged her new brother-in-law and offered her congratulations before she volunteered to get some cardboard boxes from the basement so that they could start packing and tactfully closed the door when she left the newlyweds alone.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy lost no time in kissing his wife, joining her on the bed and kissing her before the door had even clicked shut. After a few moments, he released her lips and began nuzzling her neck affectionately.

"Mmm." She hummed happily. "What was that for?"

"I just needed to be close to you. I don't think your father likes me very much."

"Well, you are taking me away from him. Plus, he gets super uptight and non-communicative whenever any of us gets close to a guy. My dad stopped hanging out with Professor Lucas for months when I was dating his son, Ben. Then there was my last boyfriend who was an English major; we were just friends at first and they got along great until we started going out. All of a sudden, Dad had nothing to say to Carl about poets of the Romantic Movement. It was weird."

"I am not sure I like you discussing previous boyfriends when we are together."

Elizabeth laughed and stood with some difficulty. "I have to pack so we can leave at a reasonable hour tomorrow, I don't want Georgiana to feel like we've abandoned her." She opened the door and saw that Jane had thoughtfully left a pile of boxes in the hallway. She said a loud "thank you" in the direction of her older sister's room before placing a few on her bed and attacking the closet.

To Darcy's chagrin, the door was left open and Elizabeth's youngest sisters kept stopping by to ask if they could have various objects. Eventually, Jane entered the room to help with her sister's packing and took on the job of shooing away pests.

When they were done, the room looked oddly bare. The stuffed rabbit that Elizabeth had slept with all her life was wedged into a box between the works of Alexandre Dumas and a cache of sweaters. Her once full bookshelf held only dust, and empty hangers rattled on the now sparse closet rod.

Elizabeth lay in bed waiting for her husband to finish brushing his teeth and return to her. She wiped away the beginning of a tear, refusing to get emotional over something as silly as an empty room. The knickknacks that she missed seeing on her dresser were wrapped in socks and stowed in one of the many boxes that now lined the hallway. She told herself she had no reason to miss them or anything else, it was all going with her to her new home, yet a wave of sadness and loss swept over her. Clearly it was not just the things that she was going to miss.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy entered the darkened bedroom and shut the door behind him, noting to his chagrin that there was no lock. He doubted that most of Elizabeth's sisters understood the concept of privacy as well as his own. He climbed into bed beside his wife and attempted to stretch out, only to encounter the end of the blankets. Elizabeth laughed softly when she felt his struggle.

"I see why you need that California King at home," she whispered, "I think you're a little big for my bed."

"Oh, Lizzy, my love, I am sure we can make room." He began to kiss her, to which she responded enthusiastically, but when he tried to take things further, she stopped him.

"Not here, Fitzwilliam. We're in my parents' house."

"I noticed. You cannot tell me that you don't want to make new, adult memories in this bed. I remembered the condoms." His voice was smooth and persuasive, but after a moment of hesitation, she still pushed him away from herself.

"I can't, not yet. Maybe someday, but for now, this is where I grew up, where I learned to read and danced to The Backstreet Boys and -" She burst into tears.

Darcy sat up and pulled her to him so that he could cradle her in his arms. "Oh Sweetheart, I am sorry, I never meant to upset you." He stroked her hair gently and racked his brain for something soothing to say. He felt helpless as her sobs grew louder.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Jane stood at the threshold looking concerned, then embarrassed at the sight of her shirtless brother-in-law. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot you were here. I just heard Lizzy crying and came to see what was wrong. I'll go now."

"Wait." Elizabeth's voice was soft as she turned her face away from Darcy's chest. "I'm okay Jane, I'm just going to miss it here. You can go back to bed."

"Okay," her sister said hesitatingly, "but I'm here if you need anything."

"Don't worry, my husband will take good care of me. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Lizzy," Jane shut the door, then opened it a crack and added awkwardly, "goodnight Darcy."

She heard "goodnight" in a baritone voice, and only a muffled sound in her sister's alto, suggesting that she had already turned her face back to her willing pillow.

"Are you sure you are alright Sweetheart? I would hate to think that anything I said or did upset you. I never meant to put any sort of uncomfortable pressure on you." He could feel her barely shaking her head from side to side before she mumbled something unintelligible against his chest. "What was that?" He gently pulled her back so that he could look into her eyes.

She spoke slowly, occasionally emitting short hiccuping sobs that indicated the end of her crying jag. "You didn't do anything wrong. I know we've only been married for one day, and you want to get on with the honeymoon." She kissed him at the base of his neck. "So do I, just not here. The crying was – well, you probably don't really get the idea of needing a good cry once in a while, but I think that's all it was. It was kind of an outlet for all the emotions that come with big changes in life, but I am happy. I know you're worrying that I regret what happened last night," she toyed with her ring to indicate the specific event to which she referred, "but I don't. I love you, and I'm going to spend forever with you. Forever just happened to start a lot sooner than I expected."

Elizabeth stroked Darcy's chest. "You know on the rare occasions that I need a cry like this, Jane usually comes in here and holds me till I'm done. It's a good thing she didn't try that tonight, this bed isn't big enough for the three of us."

"Elizabeth, please"" He was frustrated, but also secretly pleased that she was again cheerful enough to tease him.

She laughed softly and kissed him on the lips before snuggling down in the bed, pulling him with her so that she could rest her head on his chest. They snuggled together as they fell asleep that night.


	41. Chapter 41

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-41

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 71% intact. (Translation: There was some good stuff to cut again.)_

**Chapter 41**

_Sunday 13 May 2001_

Dr. Bennet did not join the rest of his family for breakfast the next morning. He later sat in the family room eating yogurt and sullenly watching Darcy load box after box into the back of his SUV while Elizabeth bade farewell to her sisters and mother, promising to see them again soon.

When her father did not come out to see her off, Elizabeth went in search of him, eventually finding him staring out the window toward the driveway.

"I'm leaving now Daddy, don't you want to say goodbye?"

"Are you sure you want to go with him?" There was a plea in his voice that she could not ignore.

"I am, it really is what I want. It's not really going to be any different you know, not for you. I was going to be in Chicago this summer anyway, what difference does it make where I'm staying if it's in a different state?"

"If you had not married him, you would have come back home after the summer. You applied to graduate school here."

"I applied to schools there too, I'm not sure what I would have done." She gave a slightly forced sounding laugh. "I'm not even sure what I'm going to do, but I am sure of one thing." Her voice turned serious and she looked her father in the eyes as she spoke. "I love Darcy and maybe I didn't plan on this, but I'm making the right decision to see it through. He loves me and wants me to be happy. Can't you please love me enough to want that for me too?"

Dr. Bennet was shocked. He knew that he had emotionally neglected his daughters to different extents over the years, but Elizabeth had always been his favorite. They had much in common and had always gotten along well. He never thought he would see the day where she would question his love for her. Hurt, he stiffly stood to hug his daughter goodbye, damning Darcy silently for his part in this blossoming estrangement.

Elizabeth looked into his eyes as she released him and was hurt by the emotionless void she saw in them. "Goodbye Dad," she whispered and kissed him briefly on the cheek, "I'll see you later."

She left quickly, before she said anything she might regret and rushed outside to the comforting arms of her husband.

-o-o-o-o-

They drove in silence for a few minutes as Elizabeth collected herself before Darcy gently encouraged her to share her feelings about leaving her childhood home for good. She was hesitant at first, but then emotions spewed forth and she admitted her turmoil over her leaving her father. She explained how he had only been a parent when it was convenient and comfortable for him, which had left her with mostly pleasant memories of him, but in retrospect had unfairly turned her mother into a bit of a villain.

"I always thought he loved me best, and that made me both happy and guilty you know?" She did not wait for confirmation before continuing. "Now I find myself wondering if he really loves me at all. If he did, wouldn't he want me to be happy?"

"He does love you Elizabeth, he just doesn't know how to show it."

"I guess he does in his own weirdly possessive way. I think he likes having me to show off; 'look my daughter's smarter than yours,' that kind of thing. He's always hated it when I dated anyone, I think he doesn't like the competition. I don't mean that in a creepy way or anything, he's just not used to vying for my attention. It's killing him now that you're the most important person in my life."

"Am I?" Darcy took her hand and kissed it with a smile.

"You know you are." She stroked his jaw affectionately after he let her hand go. "Do you want to tell me about your parents? I know that they're gone, but I don't know much else about them at all."

"My mother died when I was fourteen, my father when I was twenty-two."

Elizabeth took his hand and held it comfortingly until he was ready to continue.

"My father was a good man; moral, intelligent, and kind. He changed after my mother died, though. He was still a good man of course, just not as good a father. He could hardly look at Georgie sometimes, I think he could not help but blame her in part for our mother's death." He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke, but felt Elizabeth's questioning gaze, and grudgingly explained. "She had breast cancer, but they did not catch it until it was too late. She was breastfeeding at the time and I guess he thought if not for that . . ." Darcy trailed off and squeezed her hand as he composed himself. "Georgiana grew up in the same house, but she may as well have been in another family. Dad hired a full-time nanny and barely interacted with his own daughter. When she got a little older and started to look like Mom, it got even worse. He was a decent father to me though, and I did not always see what was going on with my sister. I hoped that when I went off to college, they would become closer, but by then he had Wickham around to fill the void." He stopped abruptly and shook his head as if to clear the rascal from his thoughts. "I had two parents for years and one until I was an adult but Georgie, she's never really had any parents."

"That's not true." Darcy was almost startled to hear his wife's voice; despite their entwined fingers, he had felt as if he was alone as he poured out his heart. Elizabeth spoke firmly. "She has you. I've seen you with her and you're a great parent. You can't replace what she's lost, but you've given her a loving, secure home and done the best you can, which seems to be a pretty good job,"

"Yeah, I did such a good job that she was drinking and partying with a man twice her age."

"You can't stop teenagers from rebelling, it's what they do. Plus, someone she trusted was providing her with alcohol and encouraging her to drink, that sends a confusing message. She seems fine now, and happy with you."

"You know she told me yesterday, while you were getting ready; how glad she is that you'll be living with us."

"Really? I was afraid she might be upset by the sudden change, plus we didn't even ask her opinion."

"No, she loves you. She says you are the sister she has always wanted. She did seem a little hurt that she did not get to attend our wedding, but I think she understands that it was hardly a personal slight."

"Jane's upset by that too. I was thinking we could do a vow renewal; like a big wedding ceremony with bridesmaids and everything. That might appease our families."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, when were you thinking of doing it?"

"How about for our first anniversary? That would give us nearly a year to plan, I understand these things take time in high society." She was joking, but only partially.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Now, how about some lunch?"

They pulled off the freeway in Kalamazoo and spent the meal discussing vague wedding ideas.

-o-o-o-o-

When they arrived home, it was mid-afternoon and they were surprised to see Georgiana in the kitchen, getting ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Darcy asked, suspiciously. He was afraid that she might have concocted some scheme to allow him time alone with Elizabeth and while he was appreciative, he wanted her to know that it was unnecessary.

His sister looked at him in disbelief. "Do you even listen when I talk? It's tech Sunday for _The Fantasticks_. I'll be gone for dinner. I'm sure you guys can figure out something to do without me." She winked at Elizabeth, who laughed, amused but slightly uncomfortable at the implication.

"I am sorry, I had not realized the date. Do you need a ride?"

"No thanks, Mr. Goodrich is waiting for me in the garage, Richard went home after lunch. I'll see you guys later, much later." She shouldered her backpack and left the house.

"Richard was here?" Elizabeth had not seen Darcy's cousin since before the New Year, she was a little curious to see how he was doing.

"He comes to stay with Georgie when I go out of town, he was here for a month and a half this fall. I did not yet tell him about our marriage."

"Maybe we should have him over for dinner this week and break the news in person. We've seen how my family reacts," she rolled her eyes, "let's see what yours thinks."

"Richard is hardly representative of the Fitzwilliam clan." Darcy warned his wife, then approached the calendar. "Damn it!" Her interest was piqued by his uncharacteristic exclamation.

"What's the matter?"

"I have a business trip this week, I had forgotten about it completely in the wake of everything that has happened. I will be in Washington D.C. for two nights." He looked at her sadly.

Elizabeth put her arms around him, looking at the calendar to confirm the dates of his absence. "It'll be okay, it sucks but it's just a couple of days. It's too bad my internship starts this week or I could join you."

"What if I change the program schedule?" At her dubious look, he shrugged in defeat. "I wish I could postpone it, but these are important negotiations." He let out a groan of frustration.

"What's this?" She gestured at four ambiguously marked squares on the calendar.

"Memorial Day weekend, we always go to Boston then."

"Am I expected to join you?"

He smiled apologetically. "I am sorry Elizabeth, I had just assumed you would. It will be an excellent time to introduce you to the Fitzwilliam side of my family."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the advance notice."

"It is nearly two weeks from now."

Elizabeth shook her head slightly and changed the subject. "Okay, this Friday we're going to see Georgiana's show, what are your plans for the rest of the weekend?" She pointed to two empty squares on the calendar.

"Nothing as far as I know. Why?"

"How about we go to a hotel and have kind of a mini-honeymoon?"

"That sounds wonderful, where should I make the reservation?"

"Nowhere yet, we need to run it by your sister, make sure she doesn't feel abandoned or – oh!" Elizabeth found herself hoisted up by her husband in a one-shouldered fireman's carry.

He headed up the stairs. "No more talk about my sister. We have several hours to ourselves, and I would like to use them wisely."

Some time later they were lying cuddled together on the bed, sated, dimly lit by the shafts of afternoon sunlight that wormed their way between the slats of the window treatments.

-o-o-o-o-

They lay in bed for some time, talking and touching, until Darcy suggested going out to dinner that evening.

"That sounds nice. Where's Mrs. Reynolds?"

"She never works on Sundays. She goes to church then spends the day with her daughter. Georgiana and I usually make do with leftovers or order in."

"Okay, dinner out sounds good, let me just go take a shower."

"I'll join you." Darcy followed her to the bathroom.

They walked through the private sink area and into the attached bathroom which, Elizabeth noticed, connected to another small room with its own sink. She wandered through the door and saw that the tiny room connected to another bedroom, about the same size as Darcy's. She had been in too much of a hurry to do any real exploring the previous morning when she had taken a shower. The far bedroom was neatly but impersonally furnished as if awaiting a guest at any moment.

"This is cool, I always thought a Jack and Jill* setup like this would be great to have with Jane. I suppose this isn't Georgie's room." Suddenly Elizabeth was self-conscious about her state of undress and covered herself with her arms, stepping back into the bathroom.

"It's alright Sweetheart, nobody is here except for us. That room is empty. Georgie's is down the hall, in the opposite corner from ours."

"How convenient." Elizabeth shut the door to the other bedroom and accepted her husband's invitation into the steaming shower. She appreciated the feeling of having her hair carefully washed by another person, a person she loved and trusted.

They washed each other thoroughly and when they were both clean, they exited the shower and wrapped themselves in towels.

"Damn it, I smell like man-soap again. We really should have unpacked my stuff before doing this." She made a mental note not to shower again without first adding her own toiletries to the selection in the stall.

They had hardly left the bathroom before Darcy tried to unwrap his wife. She was still in a good mood, despite her mild annoyance at his soap, and pushed him away playfully. He chased her in a small circle around the bedroom before capturing her.

"As much as I am enjoying this, can we defer it until after dinner? I'm starting to get hungry."

With a feigned huff of annoyance and a kiss on her lips, Darcy rose and held out his hand for her. They dressed without incident and went out for a casual dinner.

-o-o-o-o-

Georgiana was home by the time they returned and, with Goodrich's help, they moved Elizabeth's boxes upstairs. The family spent some time together that evening flipping through the television channels. The atmosphere was relaxed and Darcy undid the top buttons of his shirt; when he next turned to speak to his sister, she gasped in surprise.

"Oh my God, what are you guys, like seventeen?"

Darcy did not remove his arm from around his wife, but only looked around curiously, wondering what would inspire such a comment.

Elizabeth also looked about, wary that she had not yet remembered to search for the bra she had abandoned in this room the day before their marriage. Perhaps her sister-in-law had found it. When she saw nothing on the floor or furniture, she looked at her husband and caught sight of what Georgiana meant. She covered her mouth ineffectually as she burst into laughter.

"Now I feel as though you two are keeping something from me, what is it?" Darcy demanded.

Elizabeth laughed out loud for a moment more before she told him what they had both failed to notice earlier. "You have a hickey."

His hand flew to his neck where he knew the mark would be. "Is it noticeable?"

"It wasn't visible when you had your collar buttoned, so as long as you don't get too casual with anyone for the next week, you should be fine." Elizabeth pressed a quick kiss to the discolored spot.

"You know that's just the sort of behavior that caused the problem in the first place." Georgiana joked, pleased to see her brother so happy and relaxed. She announced that she was going to bed and gave a theatrical yawn before she left the room.

Elizabeth used their solitude to ask Darcy if he had seen the undergarment she had lost on Thursday and stood in preparation to look through the couch cushions.

"I think Mrs. Reynolds must have, I saw it in my – our room today."

"Oh no, please tell me you're kidding, that is so embarrassing."

"I should teach you a lesson about keeping better track of your things!" He said, teasingly

"That's fine by me as long as you do it upstairs, I don't want any more of my clothes strewn about down here."

Darcy laughed and thought about how much he had missed in the past by not having someone like Elizabeth in his life. It did not take him long to realize that that there was no one on Earth quite like his wife, and he was lucky to have her now. He followed her upstairs and proceeded to spend a significant part of the night showing her exactly how lucky he felt.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*A "Jack and Jill" is an en suite bathroom shared by two bedrooms.


	42. Chapter 42

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-42

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 83% intact._

**Chapter 42**

_Monday 14 May 2001_

When the alarm went off on Monday morning, neither occupant of the bed was pleased to hear it. Darcy was was on the side closest to the nightstand; he reached out his hand to quiet the buzzing and groaned loudly.

"I do not believe I have ever wanted to get out of bed less in my life." He held tightly to the other body in the bed which was curled up against his own. "Can we stay home today Sweetheart, please?"

Elizabeth pried his arm off with supreme effort and scrambled across him to get out of bed. "You know we can't, at least I can't. Today's my first day at work and I hear the boss is a no-nonsense kind of guy."

"I'll start some nonsense with you, get back here." He sat up enough to reach his arms out for her, but his fingertips barely made contact before she stepped out of range. He blinked at the clock for a moment, allowing his eyes to focus. "Why did you set the alarm so early?"

"I have allow time to take the L*."

"Do not be ridiculous, I will drive you to work."

"Yeah, that's a good idea, showing up for my first day of being an intern in the boss's car." She rooted through her suitcase until she found her toiletry bag. She was intent on starting her summer employment off right, and that meant arriving alone and not smelling like she had woken up and showered in some man's house. Armed with her own soap, shampoo, and conditioner, Elizabeth went into the bathroom.

She had just begun to wet her hair when she felt someone step into the shower behind her.

"You know, I thought I didn't have to lock the door like at my house – my parents' house I mean." She turned around and opened her eyes. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but I don't have time for this, Fitzwilliam."

"I can drop you off a few blocks from the office if you won't let me drive you to the door, but I cannot let my wife take a train into the city."

"Now who's being ridiculous? You can't always drive me to work. What about when you're out of town or have an early meeting or something?"

Darcy took the shampoo that she had just added to the shelf and squirted some into his palm. "You make a good point, you need a car of your own." He began to shampoo her hair, massaging it into her scalp and working the lather down to the ends. "I love your hair Elizabeth, it is one of the first things I noticed about you."

"Mmm," she leaned into him, relishing the way he made her feel, "the first time you saw me I had my hair up."

"I remember that night, I hardly noticed the rest of you, but for days all I could see in my mind when I went to bed was a pair of brilliant green eyes. When we came to your house for that barbecue a few days later, that is when I noticed what was above those beautiful eyes," he ran his fingers through her damp tresses as he angled the shower head to rinse out the shampoo, "and what was below them."

Elizabeth smiled at his implication and turned to face him. "You noticed me alright, you told Charles I wasn't pretty enough to be worth your time. Clearly you've changed your mind." She looked at him meaningfully and reached for her conditioner, applying it herself as he stood staring at her.

"I did say that, didn't I? I cannot believe you overheard that and were ever willing to speak to me again. I am sorry that I was so rude. I have no excuse for what I said, it was obviously a horrible lie. I was in a terrible mood that evening and I did not want to be at that party." He stopped when he noticed that his wife's smile had faded.

She had meant to tease him about the comment, but instead had reminded herself of how he had made her feel that night. The way she sighed told him everything he needed to know.

"I hurt you."

"You did, a lot. It turns out that I'm vainer than I think." He opened his mouth to apologize again, but she continued. "Do you know what the worst part is? I thought you were totally hot until you said that, then I wanted nothing more than to punch you in your stupid face."

"You can do so now if it would make you feel better."

"Oh no," she gave a soft laugh, which he considered a good sign, "like you, I have long since changed my mind. What you have there is the most handsome visage I've ever seen and it would be a crime to mar it in any way." She reached up her hand to touch his cheek.

"Elizabeth, you should know, I never changed my mind."

"What?" She stepped back as far as she could which, in the shower stall, was not very far.

"I am sorry, I phrased that poorly. What I meant was not that I feel that way now, but that I never felt it then. I was in a bad mood and dismissed Bingley's suggestion without really looking at you but I assure you, Lizzy, my love, I have never once thought you were lacking in any manner."

"I can think of a way for you to make it up to me then." She moved closer to him again.

"What is that?"

"Tell me I'm pretty."

"Such a word does not begin to describe you Lizzy, my love." He backed her up against the shower wall and kissed her. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. Every time I see you smile, my world is lit up just by your presence and when you leave a room, I feel as though the sun itself has gone out."

She almost got lost in the emotion of the moment, but managed to collect herself enough to give him another command. "Tell me I'm worth your time."

"Every second I am not with you is a second I have wasted. I fear the day ahead because I will be parted from you and every tick of the clock will seem interminable as I sit alone in my office, knowing you are only two floors away and completely unattainable for hours on end."

She reached for him and they kissed, which led to other, even more pleasant affirmations of affection.

"That was amazing Elizabeth, you are incomparable in every way, but I have to get out now or I will never be able to get ready for work."

"Hm? Oh yeah, fine." Elizabeth agreed absently, still leaning against the cool tile wall for support. She watched her husband towel himself off for a moment before she remembered why she had gotten in the shower in the first place and regretfully used her own soap to finish washing herself.

She sped through the rest of her morning routine, drying her hair then pulling it up into a neat bun and dressing in the pantsuit she had selected for her first day of work.

-o-o-o-o-

They had breakfast together and headed out to the garage. Elizabeth noticed that it was very large and had two empty spaces. She wondered how serious he had been about buying her a car, but decided to leave the discussion for another day. They would not have time to shop until at least the next week and perhaps by then she could convince him how unnecessary such an extravagant purchase was.

On the drive into the city, they discussed their plans for the rest of the day. Darcy insisted that he take her home as well, despite his wife's protests that she really needed to learn the L route to and from the office. They agreed to meet at the same corner at which they parted, and he dropped her off at a nearby station, regretting the need to do so.

Elizabeth walked the under two blocks that remained to the Pemberley International office building, and took a deep breath before heading inside, reminding herself over and over why she had chosen to keep her relationship a secret. She reported to the receptionist at the front desk, and was directed to a conference room where she joined two other recent college graduates who were already waiting patiently.

By three minutes after nine o'clock, there were five people sitting in the room when the human resources director arrived. They went around the table and introduced themselves. Three men and one other woman were also interns and Elizabeth hoped that she would find friends among them. They spent the first two hours of the day filling out paperwork, she almost panicked when filling out the tax forms, wondering if she should admit to being married or not. After a brief deliberation, she decided it was easier to be honest now than have to fix things later; after all, it was not asking the name of her husband. For her address, she used the Gardiners' home. She knew that this was not entirely truthful, but whoever looked at these things might recognize Darcy's address. She began to worry about her plan keep the marriage quiet. They would all find out soon enough anyway, she wondered if being known as a liar on top of everything else would make it all worse in the end. Unfortunately at this point, she saw no better solution, so she decided to stick to the lie.

The next hour involved taking a tour of the building and meeting people. They were briefly introduced to many of the executives, but the "big boss" was in a meeting at the time. Elizabeth was grateful for the reprieve.

-o-o-o-o-

At noon, all of the interns decided to go out to lunch together. They found a deli less than a block away from Pemberley headquarters where they could eat sandwiches and discuss their impressions so far.

They also got to know each other better, and Penelope, the other female intern asked Elizabeth about her ring. Elizabeth explained that she had gotten engaged recently, then wished she had not said anything when she was forced to be evasive about her fiancé. She would only say that his name was "Will" and that they had not yet set a wedding date. Fortunately, there were enough other people present that the focus of conversation could be easily changed, and she managed to get Arthur, one of the men, talking about his girlfriend instead.

After lunch came the biggest test of fortitude when Elizabeth came face-to-face with the man she was pretending was not her husband.

It was far more of a test for Darcy however. He waited for them in a conference room, and they all filed in to meet him. Even if his eyes had been closed, he would have known the instant his wife walked into the room. The seductive scent of her perfume had faded since that morning, but still lingered on her skin. Her blouse was buttoned enough so that there was no glimpse of cleavage, but he knew what treasures those buttons hid. When they sat down and waited for him to speak, he noticed that only four pairs of eyes were on him, five if he counted Mike from H.R.. Elizabeth looked down at her folded hands, deliberately failing to make any sort of eye contact. She wore a demure pantsuit and had her legs tucked under the table, but still when he looked at her, his mouth went dry.

Clearing his throat loudly, Darcy turned away from the interns for a moment as he did his best to control his reaction to her presence, both emotional and physical. He took a deep breath, reminded himself of where he was, and tried to clear his mind of everything but business-related matters. This seemed to work and he gave his short prepared speech. He was fine until Elizabeth unconsciously licked her lips, at which point he wrapped up as quickly as possible and excused himself, claiming an urgent call that he was expecting.

The interns were shown to their workstations where they were given a fairly mundane task involving spreadsheets, which allowed them some time to chat. Penelope seemed to want to discuss the attractions of Mr. Darcy.

Afraid that any specific responses would give away her emotions, Elizabeth did not contribute to the conversation. Although a part of her wanted to say out loud how fantastic the pecs that the other woman could only imagine felt beneath her fingers, she kept her lips pressed together in a tight line, only nodding and making non-committal noises in agreement when specific features were mentioned. Fortunately, the conversation moved on to other topics, and she was able to converse in her normal, friendly fashion.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually, the day ended, and Elizabeth was relieved to escape from what she had already started considering to be a house of lies. She waited only a few minutes before Darcy arrived to collect her. She looked around for familiar faces, but not recognizing anyone in the area, she slid into the car, grateful to be going home.

Darcy said nothing beyond a simple greeting, but immediately grasped her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a kiss and smiling when he noticed the thread that she had wrapped around the palm side of her ring to keep it from slipping off of her finger.

"We ought to get this fixed soon, I wish that I had known your size when I was at the store."

"It's no big deal, I mean I know I should get it resized, it's just . . ."

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Darcy was petrified that the uncomfortable feeling at the office had gotten to her and she had decided to ask for an annulment after all.

"Never mind, it's silly." She tried to draw her hand away, but he held fast to it, so she acquiesced and gave his a squeeze.

"Elizabeth, there is nothing in the world you cannot tell me. I love you."

"I love you too Fitzwilliam, that's it really. You're going out of town tomorrow and like I said, I know it's silly, but I don't want to be without my ring while you're gone. I'm afraid it'll feel like this whole thing is, I don't know, not real somehow."

"I have been constantly terrified that I am going to wake up from a dream the past few days. The idea of having you by my side for the rest of my life seems too good to be true." It occurred to Darcy that such a statement might sound too sappy to be quite genuine, but he need not have worried. His wife pulled their joined hands from where they rested over the console so that she could brush her lips across his knuckles. He had never been so pleased to drive a car with an automatic transmission.

They briefly discussed their respective days at work, before agreeing to put the topic aside. Elizabeth did not want him to know how uncomfortable she had been in his presence, unable even to look at him without displaying some emotion. She was sure that it would only take time to accustom herself to the environment of Pemberley International, so she ought not worry him needlessly.

-o-o-o-o-

Once they returned home, Elizabeth convinced her husband to go for a walk around the neighborhood. He had planned on enticing her into bed, but she had changed her clothes so efficiently that he had not had a chance before she was dragging him out the door, eager to take advantage of the sun before evening faded into night.

Georgiana got a ride home from rehearsal before dinner, and the three of them sat down together for their first real family meal, prepared by Mrs. Reynolds. After dinner, they did not spend much time together because the teenager had a pile of homework waiting in her room, so they said goodnight early.

When Elizabeth suggested that the two of them watch some television together, Darcy had to bite back a sigh of frustration, but agreed without argument. She ran upstairs and collected the half-finished sweater that she was knitting for her future cousin and hurried back to where her husband was waiting.

It occurred to Darcy as they sat, watching a sitcom rerun followed by the local news, how very domestic their behavior had quickly become. He sat in a corner of the sofa with his arm across the back, while she leaned against him and worked on her project. They sat together without talking for some time. The clicking of her knitting needles punctuated the sounds of the television and he smiled with contentment. Being married did not always have to be about sex, although he still planned on that once they went to bed, it was about this too. They were comfortable together and happy just to be in each others' presence.

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and inhaled the light lingering scent of her shampoo. He had agreed that they were not yet ready for children, but he allowed his mind to wander to the future when they would cuddle on the couch in exactly the same manner as she made a garment for a child of their own, one that had been created out of their love for one another. He had a visceral reaction to this thought, and his arm dropped from the couch back to around her shoulders, pulling her further towards him without a conscious thought.

At the feel of his possessive arm, Elizabeth lowered the knitting to her lap. She turned her head tentatively to regard her husband, afraid he was bored with the situation. She was pleasantly surprised to see nothing but pure contentment showing on his features and a faraway look in his eyes. She wriggled free enough to place her work on the coffee table before snuggling further into his embrace. A few minutes later, upon noticing that his eyes had closed, she reached for the remote and turned off the television. With supreme effort, she rose from her very comfortable position, then held her hand out to the man still sitting on the couch who was not, in fact, asleep. He accepted it gratefully and followed her upstairs to their bedroom.

-o-o-o-o-

Once they closed the door on the outside world, Elizabeth went about her usual nighttime routine, one she had neglected of late. Darcy sat on the bed watching her as she rooted through her suitcase for pajamas, then changed into them. He was concerned by what that meant, perhaps she did not plan on the day ending the same way he did. Although he knew that they had already been together once that day, he had not gotten the impression that his wife was the sort of woman who would limit herself based on perceived societal expectations. Besides, she had confessed that she was dreading their imminent separation as much as he was.

By the time Elizabeth had emerged from the bathroom with her teeth brushed and her face washed, he had decided to let her take the lead. He changed into nightwear of his own, choosing to wear his drawstring pajama pants without their matching shirt in the hopes of inciting her passion. When he had finished brushing his teeth and returned to the bedroom, he found her waiting for him beneath the covers.

He turned off the light and joined her, doing his best to conceal his disappointment. He set the alarm for early in the morning and leaned over to kiss her goodnight. Having all but given up his hope for intimacy that night, Darcy was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and prolonged the kiss, taking the initiative to show him her desire, which was conveniently the same as his. He let her continue to take the lead throughout the passionate lovemaking.

Afterward, he pulled her close to his side. "That was a particularly enjoyable way to end the evening. You know, I was concerned you didn't want to make love tonight."

"Why would I want to skip that?"

"I cannot imagine, but you went and got dressed for bed, then lay beneath the blankets all covered up to your chin. I hardly knew what to think."

"I don't know what's normal in this whole marriage thing yet. It seemed weird to just go to bed naked, but I didn't want to start anything right when we came upstairs because we did that last night and I forgot to brush my teeth."

He smiled at her practicality, then could not help kissing her when she pouted at him adorably. "I was a little concerned that you were feeling self-conscious."

"No, I mean, I know I'm not perfect or anything, but I've never really had a big problem with that. Maybe it stems from having done theater, with costumes to change and whatnot," she kissed him gently on the nose, "or maybe it's because you make me feel so sexy that I've got no reason to be self-conscious."

"Elizabeth, I can honestly say that I have never seen any sight in my life that I have appreciated more than your body. Have I convinced you now to come to bed without pajamas?" He leered at her suggestively.

"I don't know, maybe. It's just that it all happened so fast, I guess. I never had a chance to get used to anything before it changed. Just a few months ago it seems like you were this guy I couldn't stand, then I read that letter and I saw you again. I don't even know when I fell in love with you."

"Thursday. I would certainly have remembered it if you had told me before then."

"No, that's only when I admitted it. I don't know when I really fell in love with you. I just asked myself one day if I did, and I was surprised to find it there, like it was already a part of me." Her voice turned from earnest to teasing. "What about you, when did you fall in love with me?"

He looked her in the eye and spoke from his heart. "I have always been in love with you." At her disbelieving scoff, he explained. "When our eyes first met at that party, I was not looking at a beautiful woman for the first time, it was as if I was finally seeing my soulmate, someone who had haunted my dreams for years. You have always been a part of me, even before I knew you existed."

"Wow, you really know how to sweet talk a girl. Why don't you put that silver tongue of yours to even better use?" She asked him, before pulling his mouth down to hers.

They got very little sleep that night, but neither minded as it was a most pleasant way to be kept awake.

_-x-x-x-x-_

The 'L' (or elevated train) is the rail system in Chicago.


	43. Chapter 43

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

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_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 91% intact._

_[Side note: For any of you who read the first few chapters of my other story (Scottish Air) on my site, I posted another chapter even though I am not particularly sure about it. Therefore I beg you to give me feedback (although not as a review to this story) so that I can know how to fix it into something that feels right. Warning for anybody who wants to go read what I have so far - it is rated M for mature.]_

**Chapter 43**

_Tuesday 15 May 2001 – Thursday 17 May 2001_

When the alarm went off on Tuesday, the couple was even less pleased to heed it than the morning before, because it heralded a separation that seemed far too long for the newlyweds. Darcy showered alone that morning, heedful of the time constraint, and gave Elizabeth a lingering kiss goodbye, which made it incredibly difficult for him to leave given that she was still lying in bed when he dragged himself out the door and to the garage where Goodrich awaited him.

Elizabeth got only another half hour of sleep before she, herself, rose from bed. Preparing for the day was much quicker, she noted, but less pleasurable alone. Without her protective husband to stop her, she took a bus to the train station, then rode the L into the city.

Her day at work was far more comfortable than the previous one. Once again, the interns all had lunch together, and the topic of the "big boss" was not raised throughout the day. Feeling more cheerful than she had the day before, she did a bit of shopping before catching the train back to the suburb she now called home.

-o-o-o-o-

When she went into the kitchen, Elizabeth was surprised to see Richard Fitzwilliam sitting at the kitchen table conversing with the housekeeper as she made dinner.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, a bit abruptly, moving to hide the shopping bag she carried behind her back.

"Well if it isn't the lovely Mrs. Darcy, I can't believe I wasn't invited to the wedding."

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Reynolds looked distressed, "I assumed that he knew."

"It's okay, Darcy was planning to call him last night, but we got distracted." She turned pink at the thought, and quickly changed the subject. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yeah, in fact I was planning to hang out until Thursday. Darcy likes me to come and stay with Georgie when he's out of town, and I didn't know you'd be here. I arranged for the exterminator to come to my apartment today, so I'd like to stay here anyway if you don't mind."

"Of course not. I'm sorry I'm such a bad hostess, I don't even know where the towels are or what to do really."

"That's my job anyway, dear." Mrs. Reynolds patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "Besides, Mr. Fitzwilliam stays here often enough that he has his own room, stocked with a toothbrush and change of clothes."

"Thanks, I guess I don't really feel like I belong here quite yet. I'm still getting used to this whole being married thing."

"Speaking of which, tell me about this surprise wedding. Will I have a new little cousin soon?" Richard was intrigued. He had found Elizabeth attractive from the moment they met in New York, and although she flirted with him a bit, he had gotten the idea that she was interested in neither his cousin nor himself. Darcy had surprised him with the news that they were dating barely two months before, and he wondered how things had progressed so quickly.

Elizabeth bit back her frustration at his assumption and launched into the tale of their wedding, assuring him that she was not pregnant and adding the caveat that he was not to share the story until told otherwise. He could tell that she truly loved Darcy from the way she spoke about him, and although he did not fully understand the pairing, he was glad for the both of them. She was explaining their odd work situation when Georgiana arrived home from rehearsal.

The teenager was clearly pleased to see her cousin, and told him how excited she was to have a sister. If there was any doubt left in his mind about Elizabeth's suitability as a wife for Darcy, it was erased by his observation of her interactions with Georgiana. They had lived together only a few days, but she already treated the girl as if they were true sisters. There was a camaraderie between them that he had never seen his younger cousin display with another person.

When Georgiana went off to do her homework, the older pair went into the family room to talk. Elizabeth made the mistake of choosing to sit on the couch she had shared with her husband the night before, and felt especially bereft at his absence. She and Richard got to know each other for some time until the phone rang, and Mrs. Reynolds announced that Darcy wanted to speak to his wife.

She took the cordless telephone and soon disappeared up the stairs with it, whispering eagerly into the handset.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth described her day at length and listened to her husband describe his. She forgot about their guest entirely until Darcy brought him up half an hour into their conversation, apologizing for allowing him to arrive uninformed about her presence in the house.

"I'm not surprised you forgot, I've been pretty distracting after all."

"You have been, delightfully so." He pitched his voice lower and added seductively "Would you like to distract me now?"

"Fitzwilliam, I am not going to talk dirty to you!"

"Why not? I assume you are in our bedroom with the door closed."

"It's a little ajar, but that's hardly the point. I just feel a little weird about it right now. I mean I'm comfortable with you and all, but I don't think I can say stuff like that out loud." Elizabeth could feel her cheeks warm and knew she was blushing. "Still, I wouldn't count it out in the future."

"Alright, maybe next time, just remember that I love you."

"I love you too. Do you want to talk to Georgie or Richard now?"

"Georgie first I think, thank you."

She walked down the hall and walked through her sister-in-law's open door, handing her the phone.

Later that night when she was trying to sleep, Elizabeth tossed and turned; she felt strange being in the large bed alone. It was Darcy's bed, not hers, and when she was with him it was alright, but he was missing now and she felt like an awkward guest in a strange place. She switched on the bedside lamp and looked around the room. There were several cardboard boxes and a suitcase that had yet to be unpacked, but they were the only things in the room that gave any indication of her residence. It felt like somebody else's bedroom in somebody else's house without him, and she considered calling him again to comfort her. She had the phone in her hand before she realized that not only did he have an early meeting in the morning, but because of the time difference, it was even later for him in Washington D.C., she returned the telephone to its cradle and went back to tossing impatiently before she finally fell asleep.

-o-o-o-o-

Work at Pemberley International went as smoothly on Wednesday as it had the day before. Elizabeth was getting to know the other interns better, and had started to feel as though they could truly be her friends. The only other woman was snobby, and she found one of the men to be a little creepy, but she generally enjoyed their company as a group. Besides, they had started to do some more interesting work, and she already felt like she was contributing to the company even in a small way.

When she got home on Wednesday, she was determined to finally explore the house in which she now lived. She recruited Mrs. Reynolds as a tour guide, and expressed her interest to see every room.

"Of course, Mrs. Darcy, I would love to introduce you to your new home."

"I appreciate that and you know, you can call me Lizzy like everybody else, well, everybody except Darcy I suppose." Elizabeth smiled to herself as she thought of the few occasions where her husband called her by her shortened name.

"Thank you, but I think I ought to stick with a more formal address. I know you haven't changed your name yet but in front of guests, you will have to be Mrs. Darcy and frankly, it's easier for me not to have to switch back and forth." She gave a maternal smile. "You wouldn't want to addle my aging brain, now would you?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah right, like you're not sharper than all of us. I guess the 'Mrs. Darcy' thing is fine, I'll have to get used to it eventually I suppose." With that settled, they began the tour.

She had already been in the main part of the basement, with its television and copious fort-worthy pillows, but she was also introduced to a bedroom that belonged periodically to Richard and a rec room she had not noticed before, containing exercise equipment as well as games.

She had seen most of the first floor many times, but was amazed to walk into Darcy's study and see floor to ceiling bookshelves covering almost every wall. "How have I not been here before?" She asked aloud, but Mrs. Reynolds only raised an eyebrow and chose not to comment on the cause of her boss's recent distraction. There was also a bedroom on this floor that Elizabeth had not seen yet, they would be able to put up a large number of guests at once. She was suddenly afraid of her mother's reaction to that information.

Although she had spent a large amount of time on the second floor, Elizabeth had not ever bothered to count the bedrooms, and now noted that there were three empty ones, which she supposed was not surprising given the size of the house. Finally she asked the housekeeper how many bedrooms the seemingly enormous place had.

"Nine in all, if you count the nursery."

"Nursery, which one is that?"

"It's upstairs, we'll see it momentarily."

"Darcy's parents bought this house right, it's not like a generations-old family thing?"

"You're wondering why a relatively small family needed so many rooms." At Elizabeth's nod, Mrs, Reynolds continued. "They planned to have more children, but they didn't have much luck. Mrs. Darcy managed to get pregnant once when William was a little boy, but she lost the baby before he even knew about it. I think they'd all but given up when Georgiana came along. They were so happy that first year . . ." She trailed off sadly.

During the silence that ensued, Elizabeth noticed the way Mrs. Reynolds had referred to her employer, a man she usually addressed formally. She assumed that was what his parents had called him and made a mental note to remember that before speaking. "You know, I've never been upstairs, I'd like to see what I'm missing"

"Of course." Mrs. Reynolds was glad to lead the way.

Elizabeth was not sure what she expected to find when she ascended to the top floor of her new home, but she was amazed at what was there. The first thing she saw was a brightly lit parlor that Mrs. Reynolds referred to as the sun room. She could easily see why it might be called that. There was a wide window along the side of the house, and more windows facing the back in addition to a glass paneled door that led out onto a small but delightful patio. There were three large skylights in the room that made artificial light unnecessary. Elizabeth imagined spending the afternoon reading on the comfortable-looking sofa, and wondered aloud if the house's other occupants ever did so.

"Georgiana does sometimes in the summer, when Mr. Darcy is at work. He never comes up here and I think she doesn't want him to know that she does." She led Elizabeth across the hall and into a neat office with less bookshelves than the one on the first floor, but still plenty of room for reference material. "This was Mr. Darcy's office, his father's I mean. The one down on the first floor was just the library then."

Elizabeth looked around, but did not go in because Mrs. Reynolds was already on her way to the next room, a cheerfully decorated nursery with a crib and a small bed. She noticed the rocking chair and imagined herself sitting in it, a few years down the road, lulling her own child to sleep. She had always known she wanted to be a mother someday, but always in some distant future. Seeing this room, where her future child might sleep, made her realize how soon it could really come to pass. It also made her more sure than ever whom she wanted to be their father. She swallowed the lump in her throat and followed the housekeeper to the last unopened door.

When she stepped inside she could not help but be amazed at the size of the bedroom. It was three times the size of the room she was sharing with Darcy now, which she already considered to be a good-sized bedroom. The bed was large, probably the same size as the one she currently slept in with her tall husband, and was flanked by two nightstands, something the layout of their room did not allow. She saw two dressers and two separate walk-in closets. This was certainly a bedroom to be shared. There was even a lovely sitting area located toward the front of the house. Going further into the room, she saw that it had a sliding door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the pool. The thing that really took her breath away though was the bathroom. It had a beautiful marble counter with two sinks, a shower with multiple heads, a separate door to the toilet area, and the most amazing bathtub Elizabeth had ever seen. It was big enough for three or four people and had built in jets. It was the sort of thing she imagined they had in the most expensive of hotel suites.

"Wow," she exited the bathroom and joined Mrs. Reynolds at the door to the hallway, "this is the best master bedroom I've ever seen. Why doesn't Darcy use this room? I mean, it's been just him and Georgie here for years now."

"I think it makes him sad to come up here, I haven't seen him on this floor since their father died, not much before that even since their mother's passing. Also, he's never really had a need for this much space before." She winked suggestively, which made Elizabeth laugh.

"I'll suggest it to him when he gets home. Now, let me help you with dinner."

That evening proceeded much like the last. This time the phone call from Darcy was full of promises, he had never looked forward to a business trip ending so much in his life. Elizabeth told him she had gone on a tour of the house, but neglected to mention the top floor in particular, if he had strong emotions about his parents' former living quarters, it seemed like a topic best discussed in person.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday, Elizabeth dressed carefully for work. She knew that Darcy's flight was arriving before noon, and hoped to see him during the lunch hour. He had told her the night before that he planned to eat in the office so that he could prepare for his meeting with the board that afternoon. She chose to wear her suit with a skirt, and selected a green blouse that she thought would emphasize her eyes.

She was nervous when she arrived at the office that day. Perhaps it was paranoia, but she felt like the other interns were looking at her and wondering why she had chosen that particular ensemble. Even though she knew that her skirt was perfectly demure, she worried that she was showing too much leg.

It occurred to Elizabeth that she was feeling more like she had on Monday than on her last two days at the office. Perhaps it was Darcy's presence in the building that made her so nervous, but she could hardly sit still as the last minutes before noon ticked slowly by on the clock.

Finally, it was time for lunch, and she quickly declined the anticipated invitation to join the other interns for the meal. She claimed that she was meeting a friend and bade them farewell as they headed down to the ground floor in search of a restaurant.

-o-o-o-o-

The executives who had offices on the top floor at Pemberley International were not the sort to bring their lunches to work. Elizabeth was more concerned about administrative assistants. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the empty desk in front of the CEO's office and smiled when she saw the man himself working diligently through the glass window. She entered through the door that was standing ajar, and locked it behind her. Darcy did not look up from his computer until he heard the rattle of the blinds being lowered.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing here?" He rose immediately in greeting and already had his arms around her by the time she answered.

"I couldn't wait five more hours to see you, I missed you." She pulled his head down to her level and began kissing him passionately.

"I missed you too Sweetheart, but are you sure you want to be in my office? I know how concerned you are about others discovering our relationship." He did not want to reason with her, he wanted to go back to kissing her but he was afraid she would regret taking such a risk.

"Everyone else is at lunch." Elizabeth turned them so that his back was to the door, then began moving backward slowly until she ran into his desk.

Without really thinking about his actions, Darcy lifted her up onto the desk, placing her at a more convenient height to continue their activities. He was startled enough to cease kissing her when he felt her hands working his belt buckle, but she pulled him closer and resumed their osculation. He knew he should probably put a stop to this, but his hands were moving of their own accord, and he found himself reaching out to touch her legs.

"We don't have much time." Elizabeth reminded him and they had a passionate reunion on his desk.

Although Elizabeth buried her face in his neck to keep from screaming aloud, her husband could not help but notice that she uttered a different name than usual, she had never called him "Mr. Darcy" before. He teased her about it a moment later, when they were attempting to straighten their apparel.

"I don't know, it just seemed appropriate, us being at work and all. I thought maybe we could play the naughty secretary and her dirty boss."

Darcy laughed and leaned down to kiss her warm cheek. "Lizzy, my love, if you were my secretary, I would never get a lick of work done."

"Oh I beg to differ, you'd get plenty of licking work done."

"Elizabeth!" He tried to chastise her, but only laughed harder. He watched her straighten her clothing.

She rose on her tiptoes to brush a peck across his lips. "I'll see you at home later."

"Wait for me at the corner where I picked you up on Monday." He commanded.

She gave him a mock salute and peered through the blinds to make sure the outer office was still abandoned before darting for the stairwell.

-o-o-o-o-

That afternoon, when she joined Darcy in his chauffeured car, Elizabeth tried to convince him that he should take his sister out for dinner as was their usual routine. She pointed out that she did not want to come between the siblings and she could fend for herself just fine. Her husband insisted that since the three of them were now a family, they should all go out together.

It turned out that neither got their way but they were both happy. Georgiana begged off an evening out, explaining that she still had all her homework to do because of her tech rehearsal after school. The couple ended up celebrating their reunion with a casual dinner for two.

The night ended in passion, as was to be expected. Although two days did not seem like long, Elizabeth realized that it was a full third of their married lives at this point. She laughed to think that however insignificant that amount of time might be in the future, she would always remember it as feeling like an eternity in that big bed all alone.

_-x-x-x-x-_

_If you are interested, there is a floorplan that I drew up for the Darcy house available at my google site. I am not, by any means, an architect, so please forgive me if it makes no structural sense._

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/darcy-house

_Like with the edited chapters themselves, you can either copy and paste the above address into your browser and remove the spaces or you can go to my profile and click on my homepage then click through to the house plans. I hope that my site is easily navigable enough._


	44. Chapter 44

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-44

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 78% intact._

**Chapter 44**

_Friday 18 May 2001_

Elizabeth was relieved when her first week of work ended. It had not been nearly as bad as she had feared. She had made a few friends and nobody knew she was married to the boss yet. Friday had been low stress, despite Darcy's presence in the building and she had every reason to believe that the trend might continue. After work that day, Darcy informed her that his cousin had agreed to stay with Georgiana and that they had reservations at a fancy Chicago hotel. They would have a luxurious, if brief, honeymoon.

Also that weekend, was the musical at Georgiana's high school. Darcy had originally planned on attending all three performances, but his sister had protested that such a gesture was not only unnecessary, but also mildly embarrassing. Given their current honeymoon plans, he was pleased at her insistence. They would attend opening night, however. Darcy had purchased eight tickets, and the Gardiners had found a different babysitter for the evening.

Although they could not see Georgiana, as she was situated under the stage, they could hear her masterful playing, and they congregated to see her after the show. The girl who, just months ago, had been afraid to talk to people or be part of a large group, spoke animatedly about her experience to her fan club, which consisted of Darcy, Elizabeth, Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Goodrich, Ed and Madeline Gardiner, Richard Fitzwilliam, and Charles Bingley. When another orchestra member came by, the two teenagers chatted with each other for a moment before Georgiana approached her brother.

"May I go to a cast party tonight?"

Darcy was pleased to see his sister take an interest in socializing with her peers, but he could not help but remember what had happened the summer before when she began hanging out in large groups. "Will you be supervised?"

"It's at Mrs. Adamson's house, she's the director – a totally responsible grown-up and I can get a ride home. Please?"

"Fine, but you have to promise me you won't drink." At her somber nod he continued. "Also, make sure your cell phone is on and remember you can call me for anything. It does not matter where I am, I will always come for you." He looked at her seriously, but she only giggled at him.

"It's not where you'll be that concerns me so much as what I might be interrupting."

"Georgie!"

"Sorry, but I'm not a little kid, you're going off somewhere with Lizzy and Richard's spending the night at our house, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Darcy flushed with what his sister feared for a moment was anger. She relaxed when she realized that it was instead a rarely seen bout of embarrassment that had turned her brother's face red. "If you would prefer to call Richard, I am confident that he would come pick you up as well if you needed it."

"Thanks, Brother." She kissed him on the cheek and bade farewell to the others before running off to where her friend was waiting.

-o-o-o-o-

"She'll be fine." Elizabeth insisted for what felt like the tenth time as they drove in to the city. "If you're this worried, maybe we should just go home."

"No, you are right," he heaved a sigh, "she will be fine, the party is supervised. It's only that I cannot help but think of last year, she was so happy then. She had friends, like she does now, then her entire world imploded in a moment. It took her so long to get back to that, I just worry that she will return to that sort of behavior."

"She knows better now; nothing keeps you sober so much as dealing with unpleasant consequences. You said she had a bad time of it with the alcohol and the drug she'd been given; I bet she doesn't touch a drop again until she's twenty-one, or at least in college. I got pretty wasted the night we met, it was the first time I'd ever had so much to drink at once and it taught me a lesson. I mean, I'm not Carrie Nation* now or anything, but I know when to stop." She stroked his hand reassuringly. "It's a lesson that some people just have to learn the hard way. Haven't you ever been so hung over that it affected your future behavior?"

He shuddered at the memory. "Yes, once in college." At her questioning look, he demurred. "Now is not really the time for that story, but I promise to tell you someday. It remains among the most embarrassing and unpleasant moments of my life."

They reached the hotel, and Darcy removed their suitcases from the trunk before handing over his keys to the valet. It did not take long to check in and they were efficiently shown to their suite by a polite bellhop.

-o-o-o-o-

"Oh wow," Elizabeth turned in a circle once they were alone in the room, "this place is amazing. Hey look, champagne. Are you planning to get me drunk and have your way with me?" Their serious conversation from the car was forgotten.

"That is the general idea." He slid his arms around her waist from behind. "First though, I have a present for you."

"Ooh!" She clapped her hands together in a delighted manner. "You brought me something from your trip?"

Darcy opened his suitcase and pulled out two boxes that had clearly been professionally wrapped. He handed her the smaller one first.

Doing her best to clamp down her impatient tendencies, Elizabeth carefully untied the bow and slowly pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal the box inside. Seeing the company name stamped on the box, she was rendered speechless for a moment, but forced herself to press onward and see what he had bought her. She pulled out a set of underwear made entirely of black lace, and when she held the panties up, she noticed that they were so sheer she could still make out the handsome features of his face through both layers. She was unsure of the exact prices of such lingerie, but she knew that it was probably more than she had paid for all of her suits combined. Before she could say anything, she noticed that the box was still not empty, it also contained a sheer green baby doll nightgown with its own matching panties that were only slightly more modest than the black pair.

"Fitzwilliam, I don't know what to say, it's too much." She did not make eye contact as she spoke.

"You hate them, don't you? I was afraid you might feel like I was insulting the underwear you already have, I did not mean it that way. You wore that lingerie the first night we were together, so I thought you might enjoy these, I know I will" He smiled tentatively, but stopped when she did not respond in kind.

"This is nothing like what I wore that night, that was just some stuff on sale at Victoria's Secret. This is probably worth some households' income for a month."

"Is that all you are upset about, the price?" At her tiny nod he continued. "I have a lot – no, we have a lot of money Sweetheart, which is nice of course, but there is no point to having money if I cannot spend it on someone I love. If you think about it really, this is more of a present to myself, since I get to see it modeled by the sexiest woman I have ever known."

He ventured to kiss her then, tentatively because he feared that she might reject him if she was still feeling odd about the gift. He was pleased that she placed the box on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to kiss her more thoroughly. After a few moments, the kiss ended when Elizabeth dissolved into giggles. Darcy was confused by her change in mood, but glad to see her happy, and asked her what was so funny.

"You were worried I'd be insulted by the slight to my current underwear. I know my Jockeys aren't very alluring. Unfortunately for you though, that's what I'm wearing now. I looked for the stuff I wore last week, I thought it had been washed, but I couldn't find it anywhere."

"I took it."

"Do you have any idea how creepy that sounds?" Her continued laughter belied the accusatory words.

"I did not take them for any perverse reason, they are clean. I needed your undergarments with me at the lingerie store, I did not know your size."

"I bet the saleswomen loved that."

"I sincerely doubt that I am the first man to ever do such a thing. Are you going to open your second gift?"

"Is it also ridiculously expensive?"

"Define ridiculous."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I have one for you first, but now you have to promise not to be insulted."

He agreed and she handed him a box that was less elaborately wrapped than the ones he had given her. He was as methodical as she was though in slowly peeling back the paper to reveal what was inside. The box was small and from a department store, he pulled off the top and let out a bark of laughter at what he saw inside.

Elizabeth bit her lip nervously, I know Calvin Klein isn't in the same class as La Perla, but -" She was cut off by his lips descending on hers. She eagerly gave in to the kiss, and it was a few minutes before their conversation was resurrected.

"I am sorry Lizzy, my love, I was just struck by how very domestic it is of us to buy each other underwear."

"Never be sorry for doing that." Elizabeth was still trying to catch her breath after his pleasant oral assault. "I was just saying that I'm not a big fan of tighty-whities, but I thought that it might be too much of a shock to your system if I tried to get you to switch right to boxers. The boxer-briefs seemed like a logical middle step."

"My briefs are not white."

"It's just an – oh, never mind." She laughed and took him by the hand, trying to lead him toward the bedroom of their suite.

"Wait just a moment, you still have another gift to open."

Elizabeth looked dubiously at the second box, it was much larger than the first. She was afraid of what it might contain, but tried to lighten the mood with a flippant remark. "I was wondering why you needed such a big suitcase. I couldn't think of anything to pack but condoms and a toothbrush."

His eyes flared with lust, but he waited patiently for her to open her second gift, revealing a black Versace gown. When she realized what it was, she almost dropped it in surprise. "I don't even want to know how much this cost, do I?"

He ignored her question. "If it fits properly, I thought we could go out someplace nice for dinner tomorrow evening."

"Someplace nice like the Oscars," she muttered under her breath, then addressed her husband. "How did you find my size? I didn't notice any dresses missing."

"I called Jane, she was happy to help. She told me that you do not feel comfortable in strapless dresses, which helped narrow down the field considerably."

Elizabeth held the dress by its spaghetti straps and smiled, first at the dress, then at him. "Can I wait until tomorrow to try it on?"

"Of course." She expected him to drag her off to bed immediately, but instead he took the dress from her and carefully hung it up in the closet, adding a garment bag from his suitcase that she assumed contained his own formal wear. She was still standing in the middle of the room, shell shocked by the gifts she had just received, when he sneaked up from behind and hoisted her into the air, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other across her back. She shrieked in surprise, but immediately relaxed in his grasp.

-o-o-o-o-

He carried her into the bedroom where he placed her gently on the bed and regarded her for a moment before sitting down to remove his shoes and socks. He then stood up again and took one of her feet in his hands. He slowly removed her shoe, then ran his fingers along her ankle before picking up the other foot and repeating his actions. She was wearing the green dress he had admired on her earlier that spring. She had already removed her sweater in the car and he gazed at her bare shoulders for a few moments before his eyes returned to her legs. He continued to remove her clothes as slowly as possible before undressing himself. Elizabeth could not take her eyes off him as he loosened his tie before removing it altogether and started on the buttons of his shirt.

"Just a little bit longer for those, I promise." She said of the condom before Darcy's lips silenced her. All talking ceased for some time, except for sporadic whispers such as "I love you".

Afterward, Elizabeth snuggled into his chest and wrapped a leg over both of his, "You didn't let me brush my teeth again, so you're not allowed to complain about my morning breath."

Darcy's last thought as he drifted to sleep was that he could not imagine complaining about a single aspect of the amazing person to whom he had pledged his life.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth did get a chance to brush her teeth that night after all. She woke up a few hours later and carefully extricated herself from her sleeping husband, sneaking off as quietly as possible. When she returned from the bathroom, she found him missing. A clinking noise from the entrance room of the suite told her both where he was and what he was doing. She was unsurprised when he returned to the bedroom with two champagne flutes in his hands.

She accepted the one he held out, and waited for him to sit beside her on the bed before raising her glass in a toast.

"To us."

"To impetuous love." He added, tapping his glass against hers.

They sipped their champagne slowly, punctuating each taste with kisses that ranged from chaste to passionate. When they had emptied the bottle, Darcy placed their flutes on the nightstand and reached for her.

"Mmm, this is the best feeling, it reminds me of our wedding night." Elizabeth melted into his side and began kissing him. "Floaty, but not impaired."

"Just promise me you will not tell Georgie that until she's twenty-one."

"As fond as I am of your sister, bringing her up is not the best way to put me in the mood."

"I wasn't aware that you were out of it." He gave her a confident, toothy grin that made her burst into laughter.

She eagerly reached for him and they expressed their love for one another non-verbally, drifting off to sleep with their limbs intertwined for the rest of the night.

_-x-x-x-x- _

_*Carrie Nation was a leader of the Temperance Movement who was known for smashing up bars with a hatchet._


	45. Chapter 45

_Alright, this is basically more of the same from the last chapter, so I am not waiting a full week to post it._

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-45

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 77% intact._

**Chapter 45**

_Saturday 19 May 2001 – Sunday 20 May 2001_

When the couple woke up late the next morning, they ordered room service for breakfast and regretfully put on robes when they heard a knock on the door. After a laden cart was wheeled into the room, and the bellhop well tipped, Darcy hung the "Do Not Disturb" sign from the doorknob and removed his robe, causing Elizabeth to giggle.

"That is hardly the kind of sound a man wants to hear when on display."

Her laughter did not cease. "You want to just sit around and eat breakfast like that?"

"Why not?"

Upon reflection, Elizabeth realized that she did not have any sort of response to his question, so she flung off her own robe, joining her husband in his state of undress. They fed each other bites of pastries, both unable to fully concentrate on the food before them.

-o-o-o-o-

In the end, they did not go out for a fancy dinner that evening. Neither wanted to put on as many clothes as that would require when they knew that this was a rare time alone together.

Darcy did take the time to call his sister before she left for her Saturday show. He asked if she was sure she did not want them there, and stressed their willingness to attend the play again. To his unexpressed relief, she refused, insisting that he enjoy this brief honeymoon. They spoke for several minutes as Darcy insisted on knowing every detail of the party she had attended the night before. It was not until he had wished Georgiana luck and ended the call that he realized his wife was nowhere to be seen.

He noted that the shower was running and decided to join her, but was deterred by the locked door of the bathroom. He sat down on the bed, saddened at what he perceived as her rejection, and tried to distract himself by looking at the room service menu, but once he made a selection, his interest waned. When he heard the shower cut off, he looked expectantly toward the door, but still she did not emerge, so he reached for the television remote and began flipping through channels.

Headline news was holding his attention when the bathroom door finally opened. Elizabeth had to clear her throat loudly twice before he turned his head. What he saw rendered him speechless.

She stood, framed in the doorway, a cloud of steam at her back. Her hair hung in shining waves down her back and freshly applied lipstick enhanced her mouth. She wore only the green nightie that he had given her the previous evening.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him. "Come here," he managed to croak, reaching out his arm.

She approached the bed slowly, giving him a seductive pout. Taking the remote from him, she turned off the television. He used his now empty hands to touch her.

"The way this brings out your eyes," he murmured against her neck, "it would be a bargain at twice the price."

"You can't see my eyes, Fitzwilliam." She teased him, letting her own hands wander across his back before attacking his pajama bottoms.

Quickly, their interlude turned from romantic to desperate and passionate, few words were exchanged, even of love.

"Oh Lizzy, my love, I'm so sorry." He kissed her ear because her face was still hidden in the pillow.

She said something in response, but he could not tell what it was, so he gently turned her over to face toward himself and repeated his apology. She looked at him with glassy, unfocused eyes and shook her head slightly.

"I said don't be sorry. I don't get why you keep apologizing for things I enjoy."

"I was not too rough with you?"

"Maybe for an everyday kind of thing, but it was what I needed just now, and it did feel amazing. I do feel like I need another shower, though"

"We're not going anywhere today."

"Right, I'll just lie here and catch my breath then."

She cuddled against him and he put one arm around her to hold her close, kissing the crown of her head periodically as she drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth did not nap long, and when she woke, she saw her husband regarding her with a serious look on his face.

"I need to tell you why I apologized before." He said without preamble.

"Because you're all gentlemanly and nervous?" She sat up to face him, smoothing out her nightie and trying to look serious.

"No, because I did something you specifically asked me not to do. It was not conscious but," he paused but went on at her encouraging look, "I forgot a condom." He cringed slightly, afraid she would be too upset to continue their decadent weekend together.

"Oh."

"Is that all? You have been so insistent about it, I assumed you would be more upset."

"It shouldn't be a big deal really, I expect to get my period in a couple of days, so we're probably safe, it's just a matter of playing the odds I guess."

"If you are . . ." He trailed off, afraid to ask the question.

"If I am pregnant, then I guess we'll have a baby. There's no reason not to really, we're in love and married and financially solvent and all that; I just wanted to wait until I had gotten my MBA."

He kissed her gratefully and she put her arms around him, but issued a small warning. "I'd rather not forget for the rest of the weekend though, I don't want to tempt fate."

"Of course not Elizabeth, I respect your wishes."

"Actually, right now my wish is to eat dinner."

He handed her the room service menu. When she had made her selection, he placed the order and they spent their time talking until the meal arrived.

Darcy put his pajama pants back on to answer the door, and Elizabeth hid in the bedroom until they were locked in together again. She emerged, still wearing her nightgown set and walked purposefully to the table where she sat down and looked at her husband expectantly. He placed her dish on the table and sat across from her, where he genuinely admired the way that her eyes matched her ensemble for the duration of the meal.

-o-o-o-o-

Exhausted from their activities earlier, the rest of their evening was spent in conversation. They shared everything from intimate childhood stories to topical commentary on the news of the day. Elizabeth decided that it was as good a time as any to bring up the master bedroom.

"Fitzwilliam, you know I explored the house while you were out of town."

"Yes, you told me that."

"I went upstairs too."

He drew in a sharp breath before responding. "That is a part of the house."

"I was wondering about the master bedroom, why you don't use it."

"That is my parents' room."

"I know it was." She noted his use of the present tense but chose not to address it specifically. "I was just thinking that it seemed like a better space for two people than your room."

"I thought it was our room." He sounded petulant.

"It is, of course, but a lot of my stuff is still in boxes. Your clothes take up most of the closet - "

"Fine," he interrupted her, "I will get rid of some of my clothes to make room for yours." His arms were crossed over his bare chest and his forehead was furrowed in irritation.

"Don't be ridiculous, I only meant that it's a closet for one."

"Elizabeth, I cannot sleep in that room." He turned to her, unshed tears shining in his chocolate colored eyes. "I was conceived there, my mother died there!"

She opened her arms to him, and he fell into them, allowing his wife to comfort him in a way nobody ever had since his mother's death. Mrs. Reynolds had held him then, but he had become a man that day in many ways, telling himself that he had to be strong for his sister, that he could never cry again. He had told Elizabeth the facts of his mother's death before, he had explained how it affected his father and sister, but he had never fully admitted to how it affected him. All at once it was as if a dam had burst and he cried for the first time in what felt like an entire lifetime. He shared with her how losing his mother had made him feel, how he had forced himself to be stoic through his father's death years later. She realized that he had never really grieved then. He had been a recent graduate whose celebratory trip to Europe was cut short by tragedy. Returning home to the responsibilities of a family and a company had kept him from dealing with his own loss. She stroked his hair and kissed his temple until his catharsis was over. He took a few deep shuddering breaths, then looked into her eyes.

"Elizabeth I am sorry, I should not have -"

"No." She interrupted him abruptly. "You need to stop apologizing for everything. While I don't necessarily agree that 'love means never having to say you're sorry'*, I do think it means not having to apologize for every little thing. It means you can count on a certain amount of understanding from your partner." She kissed him firmly but briefly on the lips. "I love you, angst and all, Fitzwilliam. Don't ever think you have to hide your emotions from me or be sorry for having them."

"I love you." He wrapped his arms around her, there was nothing more true that he could say at that moment.

"I love you too." It was what he needed to hear. She had further points to make about the bedroom situation, but she knew that the discussion needed to be had at another time. She scooted down the bed until she was lying down and held his head against her bosom, rubbing his back comfortingly until they drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

They spent Sunday morning in a decadent manner, wary that their short honeymoon was coming to an end. For breakfast they fed each other bits of fruit dipped in chocolate fondue. After their meal, they spent a large part of the morning soaking together in the large jacuzzi tub in the suite's elaborate bathroom. Elizabeth tamped down her desire to resurrect their conversation from the previous night, knowing that it was too soon to bring up the master bedroom again, even if it did have a similar enticement. Darcy clearly enjoyed sharing the bathtub with her, and she filed away the information as fodder for what she knew would be a future argument on the subject.

After their bath, they returned to bed, where they leisurely made love then took a nap together before ordering more room service for lunch.

"I could get used to this." Elizabeth sat on the bed cross-legged, munching from a tray of crudités on the bedside table.

"Me too." Darcy was watching her unashamedly from the foot of the bed. He extended his leg so that he could tease her with his toes.

She giggled and kicked her own legs out, trying to reach him to do likewise. "No fair, your legs are longer!"

He only smirked at her, an expression she rarely saw on his face. He pounced and began tickling, which made Elizabeth dissolve in a fit of giggles. She tried to do the same to him, but did not have a good angle for attack. Summoning her reserves of strength, she gripped his sides with her knees and rolled them both over. Now she was above him and able to return the treatment he had given her. Darcy thrashed about, begging her to stop as she tickled him mercilessly, genuinely enjoying the laughter he could not control. She knew he was generally content in his life, but she so rarely heard him laugh at length; it was a wonderful sound. She was not concerned that he was truly in any peril despite his pleas, he was so much stronger than her that it would be impossible to subdue him if he was unwilling. In fact, she was fairly certain that he had helped her roll him over a moment ago, and she appreciated it.

They wrestled back and forth on the bed, each inflicting pleasant torture on the other in turn. Eventually they collapsed side by side on the bed, exhausted and aroused. They reached for each other almost simultaneously; Darcy remembered the condom and the next thing Elizabeth knew, she was the willing recipient of her husband's ardor.

Given their location, she did not bother to muffle her loud exclamations of love. It briefly crossed her mind that the master bedroom was likely to be more soundproofed than their current one and she ought to point that out, but all conscious thoughts were quickly driven from her mind by sensations of pleasure. He was mostly silent, his mouth occupied kissing her neck.

-o-o-o-o-

They lay together comfortably for some time then regretfully readied themselves to leave their warm cocoon. It took several hours to actually leave the room, as they were constantly distracted by each other and the romantic setting.

When they did eventually get home, it was nearly time for dinner, and Georgiana had only just arrived home from her matinée show. Richard welcomed them both, then asked to speak to Darcy for a moment, so the two men went to the study. Darcy sat behind his desk and looked expectantly at his cousin.

"You're looking well laid."

Darcy's smile immediately disappeared as he stood and headed toward the door.

"Wait, I'm sorry, come back."

"If that is all you want to discuss, we are finished here."

"It's not, I was just making an observation, obviously a rather callous one. I needed to ask you what's up with Memorial Day weekend this year."

"We are going to visit your parents like we always do. I purchased a ticket for Elizabeth so she can join us and meet the family."

"Yeah, my mom called. She said you told her you were bringing 'someone' and she doesn't know what you meant. She asked me if she needed to find another room for this person. I don't know why you're keeping this whole thing a secret, but I told her that your guest would be happy sharing and she didn't need to worry about it."

"Thank you."

"What's with the whole cryptic routine, Darce?"

"I just figured that this seemed like the sort of news that is best delivered in person."

"I guess so, just try to keep me out of the middle. Mom's starting to bug me about the whole mystery guest thing. You know how she gets. I think she's figuring you're engaged or something, so the marriage shouldn't be too much of a shock, but be sure to tell her that I was not voluntarily involved in the cover up." Richard threw up his hands.

"Of course, you are the very picture of innocence. Now, what are we having for dinner?" Darcy rose from his seat and headed toward the door.

"Worked up an appetite, did you?" At his cousin's glare, Richard only laughed. "Okay, sorry, off limits, I know. Let's eat."

They joined the ladies in the kitchen, where Elizabeth had put a pot of soup on the stove to reheat while hearing all about Georgiana's play.

After dinner, Richard headed home and Georgiana went upstairs to do her homework, leaving the newlyweds to bask in solitude for a little while longer.

_-x-x-x-x- _

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is an oft referenced line from the 1970 movie _Love Story_


	46. Chapter 46

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-46

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 99% intact._

**Chapter 46**

_Monday 21 May 2001 – Thursday 24 May 2001_

On Monday afternoon, Elizabeth stopped at the jewelry store near the Pemberley building. She decided that it was finally time to get her ring resized; the thread she had wrapped around the band was hardly chic.

As she headed for the corner where she was to meet Darcy, she rubbed her thumb across the now bare base of her finger. It was amazing how quickly she had gotten used to the welcome weight of her ring. She reminded herself that she would only be without it for a few days but she felt strange, as if something was missing and she supposed it was.

"I got a phone call this afternoon." Her husband said as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Hello to you too."

"Hello Sweetheart, how was your day?" He greeted her anew.

They traded pleasantries for a moment before returning to the topic he had introduced. She was curious at what he was so eager to tell her, but had been determined to tease him at least a bit before proceeding. She also had news to share with him.

"A producer from 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' called."

"At work?" Elizabeth was afraid of what his assistant might now know.

"No, I gave them my cell phone number." He paused for a moment, trying to decide how best to phrase his news. "We are not going to be on television."

Elizabeth had expected a warning that the show was to be aired, this news surprised her. "Why not?"

"He was not specific, I only know that the entire segment has been scrapped." He looked at his silent wife. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, on one hand it's nice that I won't get exposed as a liar right away, that can wait until the end of the summer." She sounded regretful. "On the other hand, it's too bad, I was looking forward to seeing our wedding. It seemed like a good way to placate all the people who couldn't be there for the actual ceremony."

"I requested a copy of the footage, we should have it by the end of the month."

She kissed him on the cheek in response, then sat back in her seat looking uncomfortable.

"Elizabeth, is something else the matter?"

"Yeah, but it's more your problem than mine. I mean it's mine too technically, but as far as everybody knows right now, I'm not involved and now that our wedding won't be on TV, they won't know for a while, which might actually make things worse for you. I don't really know what to do about it."

"Alright Sweetheart, start from the beginning." Darcy had no idea what she was trying to say.

"I heard a rumor today at work, one you're not going to like."

"What sort of rumor?"

"That you're having an affair."

"Elizabeth," he sounded upset, "that is patently untrue!"

"Do you think I don't trust you? Of course the conclusion's not true, but the circumstances are."

"What circumstances?"

"Apparently someone heard interesting noises coming from your office on Thursday and your assistant noticed -" Elizabeth paused and flushed slightly. When he stopped at a red light, her husband turned to look at her curiously, so she continued. "There was evidence in your trash can."

"Damn it, stupid gossiping woman. This is all Mike's fault."

"The HR director, you can't seriously blame him for hiring me?"

"Yes, him, but not for that reason. His wife, Tracy, is my usual PA, but she is currently on maternity leave. I have been through three temps since she left including Carla, who will be getting fired tomorrow."

"Fitzwilliam, you can't just fire her -"

"I most certainly can. Part of her job is to uphold my professional reputation both within the company and in public. I cannot have her starting rumors like that."

"To be fair, it did happen."

"That is hardly the point."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "If you want, we can tell people we're married, that might make the whole thing less interesting to the proverbial gossip mill."

"No, I know how much you want to have a normal internship experience. Nobody will dare mention this rumor to me, and they don't know it concerns you. If they knew about our marriage, you would be treated differently. I cannot ask that of you, especially when we have been granted this opportunity to keep it under wraps for a bit longer."

Elizabeth knew how much it hurt him to lie to everybody, and leaned against him lightly, stroking his right arm as he drove.

-o-o-o-o-

That night, he was disappointed to see her attired in modest pajamas. He tried to remove them when she came to bed, only to be rebuffed.

"I can't."

"Why not?" He allowed her stop his hands, but did not cease nuzzling his face into her neck.

"I just can't, not for a couple of days." She would not look him in the eye as she tried to wriggle free from his grasp.

It did not take Darcy long to understand her meaning, he recalled something she had said when they were at the hotel. "I take it you're not pregnant then."

She blushed slightly, knowing he was now disturbingly aware of what was going on with her body. "No, we can wait a bit for that. Plus, after this we won't need condoms anymore, I started on the pill."

Although Darcy had agreed that they should not have children right away, a small amount of regret tugged at his heartstrings at her statement. The regret did not last long however once the advantage of what she had said about birth control struck him; he was very much looking forward to that. He began kissing her in earnest, and she had to push him away gently and remind him of why they could not continue. He lay on his back and drew her toward himself, settling her comfortably against his chest as they drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

The Darcy family was just sitting down to breakfast on Tuesday morning when the telephone rang. Mrs. Reynolds answered it, then went around the corner to speak in what sounded like an alarmed manner. When she returned to the kitchen, she looked sightly shaken as she hung up the phone.

"That was the hospital, Cindy was in a car accident. I have to go. I'll try to be back by dinnertime -"

Darcy stood up immediately, and put a comforting hand on the woman's arm. "Absolutely not." She looked at him questioningly for moment before he continued. "Do not worry about us, we can fend for ourselves. You stay as long as she needs you. Are you alright to drive or should I ask Goodrich to take you?"

"I'm fine thank you. I'll call when I know something."

"We appreciate that. Give Cindy our love."

Mrs. Reynolds hurried out the door toward the guesthouse where she made her home. At Elizabeth's questioning look, Darcy explained that Cindy was the housekeeper's daughter.

"She is a couple of years older than I am, we sort of grew up together." After Georgiana had excused herself, he explained further, slightly embarrassed. "She was my first crush, but never my girlfriend, she wouldn't have anything to do with me. I don't see her much anymore, even though she lives less than an hour away. I hope she is alright."

"Maybe we should send flowers." Elizabeth smiled slightly at the idea of an adolescent Darcy with a crush.

"That is a lovely idea, I will ask which hospital she was taken to when Mrs. Reynolds calls."

They went upstairs to get ready for their day.

-o-o-o-o-

Early that evening, Darcy suggested ordering takeout, but Elizabeth scoffed at the need.

"Mrs. Reynolds keeps the kitchen well-stocked. I have all the ingredients here for lasagna, I'll make dinner tonight."

She shooed her husband away and he gave Georgiana unnecessary help with her homework as Elizabeth started dinner. When the doorbell rang, it was unexpected. Elizabeth had already set the pan in the oven to bake and stopped cleaning up to answer the door. She wiped her hands on her apron before pulling it open. The person she saw on the other side rendered her speechless for a moment.

"Eliza!" Caroline Bingley was equally surprised at the face she saw across the threshold. "Charles mentioned you were working for Darcy this summer, but -" She left her statement hanging rudely as she invited herself into the house. "Is your employer here?" She snickered as Elizabeth closed the door behind her, not noticing the amused expression on the younger woman's face.

Elizabeth walked with the uninvited guest into the family room where the Darcy siblings were working and did her best not to roll her eyes as Caroline made a big deal about her reunion with them, watching sympathetically as the bleached blonde woman drew Georgiana into a clearly unwelcome hug. She grabbed Darcy by the arm and dragged him down to sit with her on the sofa, which he was not particularly willing to do, but allowed for the sake of politeness.

"Oh Darcy, you simply must let me stay here tonight."

"Is there something the matter with your own house?"

"Well, as you may know, I've been living in New York for some time now, working to expand the company, but I have some things to do at the home office this week and Charles ran off to Michigan without telling anyone!"

"I seem to recall him mentioning the trip to me."

Caroline looked displeased at this news. "Well anyway, I don't really have a place of my own in town because I travel so much for work. I've always just stayed with my brother when I'm needed here, but now the house is all locked up and I have nowhere to go." She pouted in a manner that she clearly thought was alluring and batted her eyelashes, waiting for him to make her an offer.

Darcy wondered how she could expect him to forget the way she always referred to the home she shared with her brother as hers, he was certain that she had a key to it dangling from the fob she was tucking into her purse. She had even redecorated copiously in what he assumed was an attempt to mark her territory. He realized, however, that she was not likely to give up and begrudgingly offered her a room for the night.

Soon, the oven timer sounded, and Elizabeth announced that it was time for dinner. She set another place at the kitchen table and served the piping hot lasagna. The fairly simple meal met with rave reviews from her husband and sister-in-law, but merely a sneer of disdain from their unexpected guest. After dinner, Georgiana excused herself to finish her homework and offered to show Caroline to a guest room.

"Oh, don't be silly dear, I know my way around; we are all such good friends, you know." She gave a smug look to Elizabeth, who was clearing away the dishes.

Darcy did not doubt that she did. Both Charles and Caroline had stayed with them for a week the year before when a plumbing issue had caused a small flood and forced them to temporarily relocate until the damage was repaired. He did not know how Caroline had used her time on that visit, since he had spent most of it on an out-of-town business trip, but he would not be surprised if she had made herself familiar with every inch of the house in his absence.

The three adults sat in the family room for some time having drinks and making small talk, which was commandeered by Caroline Bingley, who had plenty to say about herself. Darcy excused himself earlier than was his habit, and headed upstairs, hoping that his wife would join him right away. He regretted leaving her alone with their guest, but there was little he could do now.

-o-o-o-o-

A few minutes later, Elizabeth joined him in their bedroom, closing the door behind her before leaning against it as she laughed aloud.

"What is it, Elizabeth?"

"That woman is so ridiculous. Do you know what she did right after you left?" She did not wait for his response before continuing. "She warned me about appropriate relationships between employers and employees. She told me that as your 'very dear friend', she was just looking out for your welfare. The way she said it too, as if 'friend' was a euphemism; I could hear the quotation marks." Elizabeth let out a bark of annoyed sounding laughter before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Darcy sat on the bed, toying with the drawstring of his pajama pants, knowing that he had to broach a difficult subject.

"Sweetheart," he addressed her when she returned to the bedroom, "I need to tell you something about Caroline; about me and Caroline."

"Oh my God, you slept with her didn't you?"

He was amazed she had guessed so fast, but she was quite intelligent, it was one of the things he loved about her.

"I should explain." At his wife's nod, he continued. "I have never been one to sleep around. I have only been with five women in my life. I was always a bit awkward around ladies when I was younger, I am sure you are not surprised to hear that. Anyway, I lost my virginity at the same age that you did, twenty-one."

Elizabeth sat down on the bed beside him, she saw where this confession was headed. "She was your first?"

"It was hardly planned, remember what I said the other day about drinking too much? Well, my encounter with her is what I regret. I lived in the fraternity house then with Bingley and Richard, it was the spring of my junior year. Caroline was a senior in high school and she came to visit for the weekend. There was a party on Friday night, of which I remember very little except that I was never without a drink in my hand. I mostly recall the headache I had the next morning and the fact that I did not wake up alone." Darcy looked so wretched in telling his story that Elizabeth put her arms around him, even though she did not feel particularly affectionate at that moment. She could feel him relax in her embrace as he continued. "She told me how glad she was that we had gotten together and how perfect we would be as a couple when she attended Yale the next year. I did not know her very well, but let her go on until she got to the part about us getting married." His voice faltered for a moment, but he strove onward. "Caroline told me that she had been saving herself for marriage, so she assumed I was quite serious about her. I was terrified and felt incredibly guilty about the whole situation, even though I hardly remembered what had gone on between us and was fairly certain that I had not instigated it."

"If you don't remember, how do you know that you really-"

"I know. I recalled just enough to believe her. Also there was . . . evidence. Anyway, I felt so guilty about the situation that I confessed to Bingley. I half expected him to hit me, but instead he burst into laughter. Apparently his sister's innocent act was too much for him to take."

"So, it wasn't her first time?"

"No, apparently she had quite the reputation in high school. She had even been treated for an illness. His recommendation was that I get tested." Darcy's lip curled up in disgust. "We had used protection, but still . . ."

"What did you do?"

"I made an appointment at the student health clinic, fortunately everything came up negative. That morning though, before I got a chance to talk to Bingley, I was as polite as possible to her, but I managed to get her dressed and out of my bedroom. I promised to call her when she started at Yale. I have been grateful for years now that she was not accepted. I do not know what I would have done if she had been."

"I bet she was over the moon to have been your first."

"Are you kidding? She has no idea. I mean, I was certainly no expert, but I was so drunk that she cannot have expected much. Of course I would never have admitted to Caroline Bingley that she was my – that I had been a -" He seemed to be unsure how to finish his thought and left it hanging. "You are the only person other than Richard who knows that part of the story. She probably just thought that I was bad in bed."

"It's too bad she'll never get to find out how good you are now."

The suggestive compliment was just what Darcy needed to ameliorate his mood.

"Has she been after you ever since?"

"I have done my best to limit our time together over the years. If I wasn't so fond of Bingley, I would never see her at all. Last fall was the first time we had such extended contact. I think she hoped it would bring us closer together, but it only reinforced my distaste for her. She imagines a far more personal relationship than we actually have."

"Maybe I need to be reassured that you like me better than her." Elizabeth was smiling and they both knew such a comparison was ridiculous.

"I absolutely refuse to dignify such ludicrousness with a response." Darcy huffed.

"Okay, let's forget about our uninvited houseguest and get a little sleep." She let her husband go and crawled across the bed to get between the sheets.

He soon joined her and wrapped his arms around her, spooning against her back and murmuring words of love in her ear as they drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

Caroline Bingley was pleased to be spending the night at Darcy's house. There were a myriad of possibilities at her disposal now. That man had evaded her long enough, and it was time for him to find out what she had to offer. Well, she supposed that he had technically sampled it once, but who knew if he remembered anything from the incident. She was pretty fuzzy herself, but was sure that if she could just remind him of what they had once shared, he would be hers again. She realized that she had squandered their time together in Ann Arbor on subtle hints at their compatibility, it was time to take more drastic action.

She tiptoed out of her bedroom, pausing to look in the hallway mirror to make sure she appeared properly alluring. There were no lights on, but the moonlight coming in through the large window in the foyer was enough for a cursory check. She stood at the door behind which she knew lay the object of her affections, and slowly eased it open. Schooling her features to wear a surprised look when he discovered her, she approached the bed.

He was sleeping on his side and snoring lightly. She could just barely make out the silhouette of his broad back before she closed the door and found herself in near pitch darkness. It was a straight path to the bed and she shuffled carefully, not wanting Darcy to wake and see her before she could surreptitiously join him in his bed. She slowly lifted the covers and eased her body under them, wrapping an arm around him from behind. Instead of the muscular chest she expected, her hand encountered a feminine shoulder and long curly hair. She groped about for a few seconds before it occurred to her that her target had not been alone in his bed.

"What the hell?" Two women's voices exclaimed simultaneously, rousing Darcy from his deep slumber. He tried to roll over, but found that impossible because he was trapped between two bodies, which was definitely not how he had fallen asleep, he was sure of that. He struggled to sit up and turn on the a light.

"What is going on here?" He looked first at Elizabeth in concern, then at Caroline, locking eyes with the latter, his eyes flaring in anger.

The unexpected situation had flustered their guest, and she fumbled about for a response.

"What? I mean, why was she here? Don't you have enough extra rooms that you don't have to bunk with your servants?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest Caroline's description of her, but shut it when her husband spoke up instead.

"Where on Earth did you get that idea? Elizabeth is certainly not a servant."

"She was serving dinner and Charles said she's working for you this summer." Caroline's voice had turned whiny.

"She works as an intern at Pemberley and lives here with me in an unrelated capacity. This is none of your business anyway. What I would really like to know is what you are doing in our bedroom in the middle of the night." He fixed a glare on the intruder

Caroline recalled the lie she had prepared. "I got up to use the bathroom and I got turned around. I thought this was my bed until I found that tramp in it!"

Her insult was too much for Darcy to take, he shoved her unceremoniously out of the bed, where she collapsed into a pile on the floor, stepped over her, and walked to the bedroom door, which he held open for her. "Get out."

"Fine, I'll see you in the morning." She stood and held her head high as she walked toward the door.

"No, get out of my house right now."

"Darcy, don't be ridiculous, It was just a misunderstanding and it's the middle of the night!"

"I do not care. You cannot come in here, try to accost me, insult my wife, and expect to stay under our roof. I have tolerated you for years because of my friendship with your brother, but no longer." His tone was one that would brook no opposition. Caroline was nearly trembling at the fearsome look on his face. In fact, there was only one person in the world who would try to reason with him in this state. Fortunately, she was also present.

"Darcy, calm down." Elizabeth rose from their bed.

"Did you hear what she said about you? I will not calm down, I want her out of here."

It was then that they noticed sputtering noises coming from the other person in the room. "Wife?" She managed to croak, looking from one to the other in shock. Suddenly, realization flooded her face. "Of course! Congratulations, when's the baby due?" Insincerity dripped from her words.

"Not that it is any of your business, but there is no baby." Darcy said firmly, never ceasing his angry glare.

She snorted. "Yeah, right. Why else would you get married so quickly, to her, without your dearest friends?" She looked at Darcy and licked her lips as she spoke. Her attention made him shudder.

"May I talk to you for a minute Caroline?" Elizabeth grabbed the other woman's elbow and dragged her from the room.

-o-o-o-o-

Not long afterward, she returned to find her husband standing where she had left him, a frown marring his handsome face.

"I am sorry Sweetheart, we may not be able to keep this quiet much longer now that that witch knows about it."

"She won't tell anyone." Elizabeth sounded confident. "Plus, she'll be gone first thing in the morning."

"How did you manage to secure her silence?" Darcy did not want to talk about Caroline Bingley, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"I shouldn't tell you, you'll get upset."

"Only at her, Elizabeth."

"Okay fine, but you have to promise to stay calm." At his nod, she continued. "I told her that we weren't telling anybody about the marriage because we weren't sure it would stick." His face fell, but she plowed on. "I explained that if nobody knew about it, it would be way easier to get an annulment in a couple of months if it doesn't work out. That should buy us some time."

"An annulment?" He looked as though he had been punched in the stomach.

"Fitzwilliam calm down, it was a bald-faced lie and you know it. It may not have been my dream wedding, but you are my dream husband. Now, let's do our best to forget about that horrible woman. I do need my beauty sleep after all." She paused for a moment before adding one final thought. "I don't want to beat a dead horse or anything, but I should point out that this likely wouldn't have happened if we slept upstairs."

Without waiting for him to respond, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, then more firmly on the lips and went back to bed. He joined her, a thoughtful look on his face, and they held each other throughout the night.

-o-o-o-o-

Caroline did not have breakfast with them the next morning, and when Elizabeth looked out the window, she noted that the other woman's car was no longer in the driveway. If Georgiana had heard anything of the fight the night before, she gave no indication, but she also did not inquire as to their guest's whereabouts. Other than the absence of Mrs. Reynolds, it was just another morning in the Darcy household.

Fortunately, Mrs. Reynolds returned later that day bearing good news about her daughter's health, she had managed to come through the accident with just a mild concussion and a few sprains. Although it was the housekeeper's usual night off, she spent it with the Darcy family ordering dinner in from a nice restaurant.


	47. Chapter 47

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-47

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 91% intact._

**Chapter 47**

_Friday 25 May 2001_

Elizabeth left work at early on Friday. After stopping at the jewelry store to pick up her freshly resized ring, she waited at the usual corner, but not for the usual car. Instead, she was picked up by a stately Town Car that already contained her husband and sister-in-law. She supposed the chauffeur thing was quite useful for a trip to the airport. The traffic was not bad, and they managed to arrive at the airport with time to spare, which was convenient, she realized, when she saw the number of people waiting to fly on that Memorial Day weekend.

They got to their gate much faster than she expected. Apparently, first class customers had their own lines to check in and get screened for security. She wondered if she would ever get used to the luxury.

The relatively comfortable plane ride confirmed everything she had thought about first class following her spring break trip. It was amazing what a few extra inches of seat and leg room could accomplish, not to mention the improved snacks and service. Flights always gave her plenty of time to think, however, regardless of her comfort level. By the time they touched down in Boston, Elizabeth was fairly nervous about meeting her new in-laws.

She was relieved to be met at the airport by Richard, whom she already knew and who was aware of her relationship with Darcy. She suspected that his parents would be less jovial upon making her acquaintance.

As they drove to the Fitzwilliam home, Richard explained that as the founder and president of a small video game company, he could rearrange his work schedule however he wanted, and had been at his parents' home for two days already.

Once they arrived, Elizabeth was filled with trepidation. She knew that if they overtly tried to intimidate her, she could easily stand up for herself if need be. She was a bold and confident person by nature, but she was not sure that she ought to exhibit such behavior here. The problem was that she expected to have a continued relationship with these people, so she knew that she had to at least attempt to get along with them. She briefly regretted some of the brash things she had said to his aunt that winter, she had certainly never expected to become a member of that woman's family. She took a deep breath and remembered what her grandmother used to say, that the past was past and only to recall it as it gave pleasure; nothing gave her more pleasure than being married to Darcy. She boldly headed in to the house.

-o-o-o-o-

They left their luggage in the foyer and were ushered by Richard into a large living room, where the rest of the family sat in conversation. A silence fell over the group as the foursome entered. It was Catherine DeBourgh who spoke first, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Miss Bennet, what are you doing here?"

"I was invited to a family reunion ma'am." Elizabeth could not keep the edge out of her tone. She surveyed the room and saw Anne DeBourgh and five people whom she had never met. Before the imperious woman could respond, Richard jumped in to perform introductions.

"Okay, obviously you know Aunt Catherine, and you've also met Anne. These are my parents," he gestured to an older couple sitting on the loveseat, "Robert and Rachel Fitzwilliam." He turned toward the sofa that contained another couple, closer to his own age. "That's my older brother Bob and his wife Sandra," he pointed to the woman's protruding stomach, "that's my nephew; Robert Fitzwilliam IV if you ask Dad, any other name in the world if you ask Bob." Elizabeth laughed nervously and looked questioningly at the woman sitting alone on a recliner. Richard followed her gaze and added, almost as an afterthought. "That's Becky, she doesn't always grace us with her presence because she's a big important doctor now instead of my baby sister."

"Oh Richard, don't be a jerk, I'll always be your baby sister." She rose and extended her hand to shake Elizabeth's, still looking at her brother. "Are you going to introduce your guest or should we just call her 'Miss Bennet' all weekend?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to introduce herself, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She looked up at Darcy who had finally stepped forward, ready to speak.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Elizabeth Bennet, my wife."

There was a deafening silence for a moment before everybody started speaking at once. Darcy managed to get their attention again long enough to explain briefly that it had been a "spur of the moment" thing and they would be sure to have a vow renewal and invite everybody. Only Catherine and Anne DeBourgh did not add their voices to the fray. They sat together on a sofa, each digesting the information quietly.

"When exactly did this happen?" Robert Fitzwilliam ventured.

"Two weeks ago." Elizabeth answered when her husband did not.

"I see," Rachel said carefully, "well, I suppose you all want to get unpacked. Dinner will be ready in half an hour. William, I'm sure you can show Elizabeth around."

"Please, call me Lizzy," She looked around the room, "everyone calls me Lizzy."

"It's nice to meet you Lizzy." Bob finally rose to shake her hand. Elizabeth was relieved to see that he was smiling. "We'll see you at dinner." He helped his pregnant wife up from her seat and they left the room together.

-o-o-o-o-

Upstairs in their guest room, Elizabeth quietly unpacked her clothes. She was not usually so careful to hang up her things, but she did not want the Fitzwilliams to have any unnecessary reasons to disapprove of her. Darcy sat on the bed, watching her attempt to smooth wrinkles out of her silk blouse.

"I'm glad you helped me pack, Fitzwilliam, I don't think I'd have been quite prepared left on my own." She had noted that not a single family member was wearing jeans. "Do I need to dress for dinner?" She looked down at the suit she still wore and lifted her legs one at a time to see how the plane ride had affected her pants. When she was examining her rear end in the mirror for wrinkles, Darcy burst into laughter. She gave him a questioning glare, and he answered without apology.

"Trust me Elizabeth, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your ass." Before she could admonish him, he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her into his lap. "Nor any other part of you, Sweetheart." He nuzzled his face into her neck and she hummed pleasurably in response.

"Not now," she said, pushing him away gently, "we have to go downstairs for dinner."

He groaned petulantly, but acquiesced without argument. They met Georgiana in the hallway, and the three of them went to the dining room together.

-o-o-o-o-

The Fitzwilliams' housekeeper served an ornate-looking rack of lamb and Rachel Fitzwilliam brought out two bottles of an expensive vintage in celebration of their family reunion. She poured the wine herself, filling all the glasses at the table but three before placing a nearly empty bottle on the sideboard next to the serving dishes. Elizabeth noticed that like the pregnant Sandra Fitzwilliam and the underage Georgiana Darcy, she had not been offered any and briefly considered what to do. She could be demurely polite and hold her tongue, but that was not her way, even when attempting to make a good impression, so she instead tried to make it into a joke.

"I know I look young, but can assure you that I am twenty-one."

"Of course you are," Mrs. Fitzwilliam's brow furrowed in confusion at the statement, "William never struck me as the cradle-robbing type."

It was Richard who first understood her meaning, and stood to retrieve the bottle his mother had left. "Would you like some wine, Lizzy?"

"Yes, please." She held out her glass to accept the liquid. "Thank you, Richard."

"Oh!" their hostess exclaimed. "Aren't you . . . I mean, I'm sorry, I just assumed . . ." She seemed to be unable to finish her sentence, so her sister-in-law explained.

"It is generally accepted that alcohol has a negative effect on fetal development." Catherine DeBourgh's voice was no less condescending than it had been before Elizabeth became a family member.

"Thank you for your concern," Elizabeth addressed one older woman, then the other, "but I'm not really worried about that yet."

"Proper prenatal care is imperative to ensure a healthy child, even from the very early stages of pregnancy." Ms. DeBourgh lectured. "I am sure that Sandra," she nodded to her other nephew's wife, "was very careful even from her first term."

"I'm afraid I was not clear." Elizabeth was doing her best not to clench her teeth in frustration, and took a sip of her wine both for fortification and defiance. "I am not concerned about prenatal care because I am not currently pregnant."

Nearly everybody at the table was surprised by this revelation, but it was only the older generation that reacted. Ms. DeBourgh began sputtering angrily at Darcy, chastising him for allowing himself to be "drawn in" without proper cause and wondering what could have inspired such an action on his part; Mrs. Fitzwilliam apologized to Elizabeth for her unintended slight; and Robert Fitzwilliam II began laughing aloud.

"Why does everybody always think I'm pregnant?" Elizabeth complained.

It was Ms. DeBourgh who leapt to answer her. "Perhaps it is because you seem to have captured my nephew in a disadvantageous marriage which took place without a single family member present. One can only assume that if he did not have any particular motivation," she said 'motivation' as if the word was distasteful, "to marry you immediately he would never have done so."

"Now hold on a minute -" Elizabeth was angry at the woman's presumption and wised to make herself heard. Her husband however, had his own piece to say.

"Aunt Catherine, that was uncalled for and unacceptable. Elizabeth is here because she is my wife and therefore a part of this family. She is my wife because I love her and would have it no other way. If you cannot accept the facts of our relationship, we will be unable to socialize with you now or at any future point." He rose to leave, but was stopped by his uncle's strong grasp.

"Please William, don't go. I know Catherine was unconscionably rude, but she doesn't speak for all of us. We love you and if you're happy, we're happy, we just want to know how this whole thing came about."

Eventually, everyone calmed down enough to hear the story of their marriage. Elizabeth did most of the talking. She explained her position at Pemberley and their desire to conceal the marriage for a few more months. Mr. Fitzwilliam voiced his understanding of the deception, a comment aimed at his nephew who, he could see, was less than elated with the idea of keeping his wife a secret from his peers.

"I know we didn't exactly plan it this way, but we're married now and making the best of it." She shrugged as she spoke, but her jaw was set in determination.

Darcy finally saw the need to interject. "We would have gotten married eventually anyway, the peculiar circumstances only sped up the process. We were in love and got caught up in the romance of the moment, but we have had absolutely no cause to repine." He smiled at his wife, who reached out to squeeze his hand in response.

"Such a spectacle cannot be legal." Ms. DeBourgh insisted. "I will make a few phone calls and attempt to extricate you from this mess."

"Aunt Catherine, clearly you were not listening to me. First of all, I already had my lawyer look into it and our marriage is absolutely legal. Also, I have no desire to be extricated from anything except perhaps this conversation." He glared at her, and rose to leave again, getting slightly further this time before his he was stopped by his other aunt.

"Don't be ridiculous William, come back." Mrs. Fitzwilliam implored. "Catherine doesn't speak for all of us. Like Robert said, we're happy for you, aren't we?" She looked about the table expectantly.

An obedient chorus of congratulations came from the lips of everybody except Catherine DeBourgh, who sat defiantly with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed together. Even Anne wished them the best, but Elizabeth could see disappointment in the young woman's eyes.

"Elizabeth, I am so sorry for offending you earlier when I was serving the wine." Their hostess grasped her new niece's hand. "When I heard the two of you had gotten married the way you did, I made an unfair assumption. I suppose I figured that the only reason someone would get married without their family present would be if they had to -" She was cut off by her younger son.

"Nobody has to get married anymore, Mom. This is a different century than the one you grew up in, unmarried people have babies all the time."

"Not around here, they don't." She glared at Richard meaningfully then turned back to Elizabeth. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fitzwilliam."

"Please, call me Rachel, or Aunt if you prefer."

"You can call me Lizzy if you want, everyone does really."

The rest of the meal was fairly uneventful. Elizabeth conversed comfortably with the Fitzwilliams, but was unsuccessful in drawing Anne DeBourgh into the conversation.

-o-o-o-o-

After dinner, they retired to the living room, where Georgiana was coerced into playing the piano by her Aunt Catherine. She agreed on the condition that Elizabeth sing along which, as an added bonus displeased her demanding aunt. Together they chose a few numbers from a book of Broadway standards that was stashed in the piano bench.

Darcy watched, enthralled, as the two people he loved most in the world performed together. His sister had always been talented, but shy. He had no doubt that only six months ago it would have been like pulling teeth to get Georgiana to perform even in front of family. Somehow though, a mere suggestion from Elizabeth had opened up a whole new world to her. Participating in the school musical had allowed her to find new friends with similar interests who were unlike the crowd with whom she had gotten into trouble the previous year. Georgiana had a beautiful voice, and he wondered whether she could be persuaded to try out for an onstage role in the next musical. If anyone could convince her to do it, it would be Elizabeth. He had not specifically considered her as a role model for Georgiana when he had fallen in love with her, but upon reflection, there was nobody more suitable of his acquaintance.

After the performance was over, the family broke off into groups and played a few hands of cards before deciding it was time for bed. Darcy kissed his sister goodnight and led his wife back to their guest room. He was fairly certain that her period was over. He was less certain as to how she felt about being intimate in a house full of his family members. He figured there was only one way to find out.

-o-o-o-o-

Once the door was closed, Darcy lost no time in preparing for bed. He donned his pajama pants and threw the matching top over the back of a chair so that he could easily access it in the morning. He watched Elizabeth change into a pretty but modest red satin set he had not seen before.

"I thought you did not care for matching pajamas."

"Normally I don't, but I'm not sure how sweatpants and a camisole would play with your relatives, so I got this when I went shopping last week. I have a matching robe too. I didn't know if I had to get dressed before breakfast or -"

He halted her nervous chatter with a kiss. "You worry too much."

They took turns in the attached bathroom, then convened on the bed, where Darcy began kissing her. Elizabeth arched toward his touch, but when his lips left hers, she voiced a question.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?"

"Lizzy, my love, it has been a week, I would do it in the middle of the living room if you let me."

She giggled. "Don't be ridiculous Fitzwilliam, it's been less than five days, oh that feels good . . . I just wasn't sure with a house full of people . . ."

He drew his head up and looked her in the eyes. "If it makes you uncomfortable Elizabeth, just tell me. Despite evidence to the contrary, I can control myself."

"No, I want to. I just think we should be quiet."

"You make an excellent point," he agreed. It was the last thing either of them said for quite some time. Their mouths remained fused together in a desperate attempt to keep their activities quiet.

Finally, he spoke again, whispering declarations of love against the top of her head as she snuggled into his body, sated.


	48. Chapter 48

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-48

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 94% intact._

**Chapter 48**

_Saturday 26 May 2001 – Monday 28 May 2001_

The next morning, Darcy woke first and unsuccessfully attempted to leave the bed without waking his wife.

"Why are you up so early?" She demanded with her face half buried in a pillow.

"I am going to play squash with my uncle and cousins. It is something we do together every year, go back to sleep." He crept over to the adjoining bathroom to ready himself for the day.

He had not been gone long when the door swung open, startling Elizabeth to wakefulness.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" Bob Fitzwilliam stood with one hand on the doorknob as the other slapped quickly over his eyes.

Elizabeth realized that when she had sat up, the bedclothes had fallen victim to gravity, and her entire upper body was bare. She scrunched down in the bed, covering herself up to her shoulders before replying. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came in to wake Darcy for our game, I completely forgot you'd be here too."

"He's in the bathroom, getting ready to go out with you guys." Elizabeth made sure she was fully hidden by both the sheet and blanket. "You can uncover your eyes now."

He did so, then apologized once more and left, shutting the door behind him.

By the time Darcy emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, Elizabeth was out of bed and wearing her robe.

"I thought you were going to sleep in a bit longer, Sweetheart."

"I thought so too, until your cousin came in here and saw me naked."

His eyes narrowed in anger. "Which one?"

"Bob, but calm down, he was all sorry and gentlemanly, he covered his eyes and everything, plus it was only the top." She put her arms around him and rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "I was embarrassed at first, but it's okay, it was just an accident. It's these kinds of things that make us really family"

Darcy let out a grunt that suggested he was not sure of her assessment, but decided to let it go. She went to take a shower as he finished getting ready for his outing.

-o-o-o-o-

When Elizabeth made her way down the stairs later that morning, clean and fully dressed, she was a bit wary of how agreeable she would find her new in-laws without her husband present. She was pleased to find that her worries were unnecessary. Catherine DeBourgh greeted her with cold silence, but everyone else was welcoming. They were just sitting down to breakfast and planned a shopping excursion for the day.

Being almost eight months pregnant, Sandra did not feel up to spending so many hours on her feet, and Anne volunteered to keep her company. Catherine said nothing, but made no move to join the other ladies when they headed for the car, so their number was nearly cut in half.

Elizabeth was secretly pleased. Although she had sworn not to let Darcy's rude aunt intimidate her, she was unsure that she could keep from saying something she might regret down the line. She planned to be a part of this family for the rest of her life, it would not do to encourage animosity. Fortunately though, she would not have to work on holding her tongue with the older woman that day, it was a friendly group that went to the mall together.

As they walked into Bloomingdale's, it struck Elizabeth that she could probably not afford the kind of things these women would want to buy. Although she was sure Darcy would pay her credit card bills or even give her money if she asked for it, she did not want to do so, it would only add credence to the already too popular theory that she had married him for his money. She would just have to be content to window shop, something she had been doing for years.

"You know Lizzy," Rachel threaded her arm through that of her new niece, "because of your quick marriage, none of us got the chance to buy you any wedding gifts."

"Oh, that's not necessary."

"Sure it is, we love to shop. Don't we girls?"

Georgiana and Becky agreed with the older woman, and it was decided that Elizabeth would be the recipient of at least one wedding present on this trip. Becky had an idea and led the group to a specific department. Elizabeth found it strange to be in the lingerie department with her husband's family and hoped they would pass through quickly, but this was apparently her new cousin's goal, so there they stayed.

Rachel laughed at her daughter's idea, but pronounced it to be a sound one, and soon the two were choosing gifts for the embarrassed bride. Georgiana was timid at first, but eventually joined in on the fun, and even Elizabeth, pink cheeks and all, began voicing her opinions, vetoing things that she judged to be too risqué, at least to admit to wanting in front of this particular crowd, and finding a few things that she thought Darcy might like.

When they had a sizable pile of nightwear and underthings selected, Elizabeth began to look through it, planning on weeding out her favorite few for purchase. She was taken by surprise when Rachel asked the happy-looking salesgirl to wrap it all and pulled out her credit card.

"Mrs. Fi- I mean Aunt Rachel, I can't let you -"

"You agreed to a gift."

"Yes, a gift is one thing, maybe a couple but this is all too much."

"Nonsense. I have no doubt he loves you, but that doesn't mean you should let him get bored." She winked suggestively and the younger woman's cheeks turned from pink to red. "You could even try one out tonight."

Before she could protest anymore, Elizabeth found herself the proud owner of two shopping bags full of lingerie. She was glad that she had been too distracted to hear the total cost, it probably would have shocked her.

They shopped for hours, only stopping for lunch. By mid-afternoon, all the ladies of her party were similarly weighed down by shopping bags. The only purchases Elizabeth made were a tie for her husband and a purse for Lydia's upcoming birthday. It took some jostling to get everyone and their purchases into the luxury sedan that Rachel drove, but soon they were on their way back home.

-o-o-o-o-

When they returned to the house, it was obvious something had gone on in their absence. There was a palpable tension in the air. Both Darcy and Catherine were obviously upset, and Robert looked exhausted, no doubt from vain attempts to keep the peace. Upon Elizabeth's entrance, Darcy's countenance relaxed considerably. He greeted her with a kiss that she thought was entirely too passionate for company. He seemed to sense her discomfort and released her with a slightly apologetic look, but kept his arm firmly about her waist. He politely inquired about her purchases and was intrigued when she mumbled an unintelligible response. From the embarrassed yet anticipatory look on her face, he correctly divined the contents of her shopping bags.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were unremarkable. Elizabeth felt warmly accepted by every family member except for her husband's angry aunt. Even Anne was polite, if a little distant. After they retired for the evening, Elizabeth had an insight to suggest while they were getting ready for bed.

"I think Anne has a crush on you."

"Do not be ridiculous, she is my cousin."

"She's not, not really. Have you ever seen the way she looks at you?" At his blank look, she went on. "It's not how Caroline Bingley looks at you, all predatory and conniving, it's different, like she's wistful and pining."

"Elizabeth, you are reading too much into this."

"Okay, if you want to believe that." She shrugged. "What happened between you and your aunt today?"

"Nothing, she was shopping with you."

"Fitzwilliam Scott Darcy!" Elizabeth looked at him sternly, her hands on her hips. Any authoritative demeanor she might have had was diminished by the fact that she was halfway through changing her clothes. Lust flared in her husband's eyes, but she ignored it. "I meant your other aunt, the great Catherine DeBourgh. You two looked about ready to kill each other when we got back."

"That woman is no aunt of mine. After the things she said about you, I would be happy never to speak to her again."

"She's just upset because she wanted you for Anne."

"There is no excuse for what she said, Elizabeth. Do not ask me, I refuse to repeat any of it."

"What about your uncle, did he try to smooth things over between you?"

Darcy huffed in annoyance. "He was very supportive when she was hurling insults, but then he agreed with her!"

"About me?" Elizabeth looked hurt. She had thought, despite her limited interaction with Robert, that he liked her, or at least accepted her as his nephew's choice.

"Not about the insults, but about a pre-nuptial agreement, or post-nuptial as it would have to be now."

"I hate to agree with Catherine the horrible about anything, so I'll just say I agree with Robert about the contract. It would be a good way to help dismiss the whole gold-digger theory everyone seems to have." She paused for a moment of thought. "He didn't say anything bad about me personally though, right?" Her insecurities about being accepted by the Fitzwilliam family were diminishing but still very real.

"No, of course not, he thinks you are delightful." Darcy chose to ignore her comment about the marriage contract and reached out to touch her for the first time during their conversation, drawing her body against his. "Nobody who has met you and is not an unbearable shrew could deny that."

She laughed and pulled away. "Good then, I don't want to be mean to him, especially when his wife was so generous today."

"Did Aunt Rachel buy you a present?" He ended up posing the question to a closed door. Elizabeth had grabbed a shopping bag and disappeared into the bathroom. There was silence until she emerged a few minutes later.

He was speechless at her approach and sat down heavily on the bed. She had brushed her hair out so that it fell in soft waves over her shoulders, left nearly bare by the thin spaghetti straps of her nightgown. The black garment had a lacy bodice that was not too low cut, but allowed plenty of skin to show through its openwork construction. Just above her waist, the lace turned into a smooth silky fabric that flowed to the ground, almost too long for her stature, but the illusion of modesty was broken when she began to move toward him. There was a slit on one side that extended from the hem to the top of her thigh so that with each step Elizabeth took, a tantalizing glimpse of leg was revealed until the fabric fell back into place.

Darcy found himself mesmerized by his wife's shapely legs; the one he could sometimes see and the even more elusive one hidden beneath her gown. "She bought you this?" His voice broke, as if pubescent and he paused to clear his throat before continuing. "I would go thank her now, but then I would have to leave you."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?" She continued moving slowly toward the bed, which she reached in a few steps.

The moment she was within his arm's grasp, he pulled her onto his lap and began kissing her fiercely, he was just beginning to lower her to the bed when a knock sounded at the door.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy stood quickly and took stock of his appearance. He was still fully dressed from the day, if a bit rumpled. He noticed Elizabeth's robe lying across a chair and tossed it to her before calling out "who is it?"

"It's Anne, I need to talk to you both for a minute," came the muffled voice from behind the door.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Darcy pulled the door open and regarded the woman in the hallway expectantly. Elizabeth walked up behind him and stood in his shadow. The robe she had bought to match her pajamas looked a bit strange with her negligée; it was red and ended just below her knees, leaving much black silky fabric uncovered below it.

"I just wanted to apologize for Aunt Catherine, she means well generally, but when she gets an idea in her head . . ." Anne trailed off, not wanting to explain the particular idea of her aunt's that had been foiled. "Anyway, I know she was an unforgivable bitch to you today, and she'll never apologize for it, but you should know that I'm sorry and she doesn't speak for me."

Darcy was a bit surprised by the language which, although still fairly mild, was harsher than any he had heard from Anne in the past. Both he and Elizabeth accepted the apology, insisting that it was unnecessary, they knew she had no more control over Catherine DeBourgh than anybody else.

"See," Darcy said to Elizabeth after they bade goodnight to Anne and closed the door, "she has nothing but cousinly feelings for me."

"Wow, you mean you really didn't see the way she looked at you just now? You are such a total guy."

"I thought that was what you liked about me." He moved toward her, sending her backwards until her legs hit the bed and she fell back onto it.

She laughed and grabbed his arm, pulling him down as well. "It is one of many, many things I like about you." She grabbed him by the hair and sought his mouth with her own.

He kissed her passionately, letting his hands skim down her sides, stopping to untie the belt of her robe. He removed her robe and his own clothing before pulling back the covers and sliding into bed. She was not too distracted to notice that he had been wearing a pair of the boxer briefs she had given him. He looked at her from the bed with an invitation in his eyes.

"What, you don't want to undress me?"

"Oh no, that new gown is too pretty to remove yet."

She rolled her eyes and joined him in bed, where they immediately returned to kissing. His hands shifted her negligée as necessary to achieve his goal, but he did not remove it. Their lovemaking was a fairly quiet affair, which pleased both participants immensely. Although they knew they were doing nothing wrong, neither wanted the rest of the family to be aware of their activities.

When they were both sated, Darcy pulled Elizabeth onto his chest, where she comfortably laid her head. One of his large hands moved to caress her behind, and he ran his hand over the smooth fabric that had fallen back to cover her there.

"I love you Elizabeth," he whispered against her hair. She did not answer him, as she had already fallen asleep.

Sunday was mostly pleasant for everyone. Only Catherine DeBourgh detracted from the relaxed atmosphere. She barely spoke to anyone and spent much of the day using the telephone and fax machine in her brother's study. Before dinner, she presented Darcy with a thick packet and a request for his signature.

"What is this?"

"I have taken the liberty of preparing a post-nuptial contract for you."

He handed back the packet without looking at it. "My marriage is none of your business."

"You are a major stockholder in the company founded by my great-grandfather, not to mention your financial stake in your father's company and your vast personal assets."

"Yes, I have many personal assets which I now share with my wife, who will remain my wife for the rest of my days." Darcy narrowed his eyes to a glare and spun on his heel, intent on leaving the room. He was surprised to see his uncle blocking the doorway.

"William, be reasonable."

"You told me you liked Elizabeth."

"I do," he ignored his sister's derisive snort, "she is a lovely young lady and you seem very happy together. Despite your unusual path to the altar, I don't doubt her sincerity."

"Then why - "

"For the same reason I told you yesterday," he sounded slightly exasperated, "because you never know what might happen in the future. You get a pre-nup in the beginning while you love each other so that you can both be sure that you're each getting a fair shake. Ideally, after signing it, you never have to see it again, but it's a safety net, just in case something should go wrong."

Darcy had to admit that Robert was making sense. "What do you suggest?"

"Humor your aunt, take a look at what some poor employee of hers spent his holiday weekend doing."

Catherine handed the document back to her nephew and swept majestically out the door. "I expect both of you to sign that and return it to me this evening."

Darcy raised his eyebrow at his uncle and looked dubiously at the packet in his hand. "I somehow doubt this gives Elizabeth 'a fair shake' as you put it."

"You're probably right. You should take it home with you and have your lawyer look it over, he can make any changes you deem necessary and you can sign it later. It is not as if there is any rush; you are, after all, happily married and likely to remain that way."

"Thank you, Uncle Robert. I know that Aunt Catherine was not looking at this objectively, but I admit, neither was I."

"Of course not, you couldn't possibly be objective about this," he patted Darcy on the back, "you're in love."

-o-o-o-o-

There was no mention of the contract at dinner that evening. Always the consummate hostess, Rachel steered the conversation toward non-controversial topics such as the weather and interior decorating.

"I assume you are planning to overhaul the master bedroom, Lizzy."

"Why would I do that? I don't really believe in change for the sake of change."

"No, but change for the sake of thirty-year-old carpeting is never a bad idea."

Elizabeth smiled at that, but denied doing any redecorating as they were not making use of the room.

"That's ridiculous," she turned to her nephew. "William, you cannot seriously expect Elizabeth to sleep in your childhood bedroom with you forever."

Darcy had the uncharitable thought that perhaps his wife had spent the day rallying his relatives to her cause. "What is wrong with my bedroom?"

"There's only one closet and that tiny bathroom for starters; besides, the nursery upstairs is very conveniently located." Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but Rachel did not give her the chance. "I know, you're not pregnant now, but you will have children someday." There was no question in her voice and it seemed almost more of a command than a statement.

"Aunt Rachel, that was my parents' bedroom." Darcy did not want to have this conversation again, particularly not in company, even if that company was family.

"Yes, and your parents bought that house to raise a family. They expected to pass it on to you so you could raise your family there as well."

"Really? I had never really considered that."

"Yes, that's why it was left to you alone. Your mother was afraid that if it was not specified in their will, it would be sold and the money divided between you two."

Elizabeth was surprised. "Georgie doesn't own half the house?"

"No," her husband told her, "I suppose, technically, you do now." He ignored Catherine's snort and explained. "My parents made a deal with our Grandmother Darcy. My father's brother has no family of his own, so she expects all her assets to end up with us. Georgiana is going to inherit her vineyard in California."

Rachel looked wistful as she thought about her late sister-in-law. "Your mother wanted to pass that house down through generations. She told me that it was her dream to see her grandson rocked to sleep in the same chair where she once held you."

Elizabeth smiled, but kept to herself the similar thoughts she had had upon seeing the nursery for the first time.

Georgiana asked her aunt to elaborate. She rarely heard stories about her mother. She knew that they made her brother sad, but she could not help but be thrilled at the idea of learning more about the woman who gave her life.

The rest of the meal was filled with happy stories and memories. Even Catherine was not able to refuse her niece a few childhood anecdotes despite her bad mood.

-o-o-o-o-

Catherine was displeased to discover that the young couple had no intention of signing the contract that weekend, she saw it as stupidity on the part of her nephew and greediness on the part of his wife. She was not shy about voicing her opinion.

Darcy took Elizabeth aside and explained his uncle's logic to her regarding a post-nuptial contract. He was not surprised that she agreed completely with his decision, especially the one not to commit to the document as it was written. Although neither had even attempted to read it, they were both sure that it would not be particularly generous toward her.

Although there were some good times together as a family, nearly everyone was pleased when the time came on Monday afternoon to return to their respective homes. A single family member's vocal disapproval had managed to cast a pall over the entire weekend.

Richard joined the Darcys on their flight back to Chicago, and soon they were all ready to get back to their daily lives.


	49. Chapter 49

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-49

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 91% intact._

_[Side note: For any of you who have been reading my very slowly moving other story (Scottish Air) exclusively on my google site, I posted another chapter, number six. As always, I greatly appreciate feedback about both this story and that one, Thanks :) A warning for anybody who wants to go read the Regency twist - it is rated M for mature and there is no edited version.]_

**Chapter 49**

_Tuesday 29 May 2001 – Thursday 31 May 2001_

On Tuesday, Darcy picked up Elizabeth at the usual corner, but she noticed that they were not headed home.

"Are you kidnapping me? Don't expect me to put up much of a fight." She smiled flirtatiously and was rewarded with a glimpse of his dimples.

"Your idea has merit, I will take it under consideration. Right now however, we need to get you a car of your own."

"That's not necessary. You have a bunch of cars and I never drive anyplace anyway. You usually take me to work and I'm getting pretty good with the public transit system."

"I want you to have the freedom to go anywhere at any time. You need your own car." He pulled into a Mercedes-Benz dealership and walked around the car to take her hand when she emerged. She had begun to become accustomed to his almost excessive gentlemanly behavior.

Before they had a chance to look at any of the cars on the lot, a salesman with glittering teeth and coiffed hair appeared in front of them. Elizabeth's first thought was that he reminded her of Wickham, then the idea stuck her that it was instead Wickham who resembled an unscrupulous car salesman, and she let out a small snort of laughter. Her husband looked at her curiously and she shook her head to dismiss any question until later. Unfazed, the salesman regarded the car in which they had arrived and addressed them.

"It looks like you folks are ready for an upgrade."

"Excuse me?" Darcy was taken aback by his presumption.

"Your current Mercedes appears to be an excellent vehicle, but you look like a man who likes to stay ahead of the curve. The new models have only just arrived and we can give you an excellent deal on your trade-in."

"No, thank you." Darcy's voice was carefully controlled, but Elizabeth could feel his irritation. "I am pleased with what I presently drive, it is my wife who needs a car today."

The salesman refocused his smile on the lady in question. He asked her a series of patronizing questions about her preferences, focusing mainly on colors and aesthetics before going to find some literature on the cars.

When he left the couple alone, Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips in irritation. "Did you really have to ambush me like this, Fitzwilliam?" Darcy gave no indication that he understood, so she continued. "Fine, I might need to drive someplace, but you don't have to just drag me off to the dealerships without warning. Maybe I'd want to do some research first, find out what cars are the best reviewed this year. Besides, this place is way too expensive for me."

"Cost is not an object, Sweetheart, you can have anything you want."

"And if what I want is to take public transportation?"

"That is not always an option, you need your own vehicle so that you can get around without restrictions." He looked as though he had more to say, but the salesman returned then with several shiny brochures. Elizabeth thanked the man and promised to consider his advice, then returned to their parked car, where she tapped her foot impatiently until her husband joined her.

-o-o-o-o-

They went to a few more car dealerships that evening, but they only glanced at the cars and picked up information to sort through later. Darcy figured that it was a first step, but did not understand why his wife was so resistant to a car of her own. As they drove home, he broached the subject carefully.

"Elizabeth, do you not like driving?"

"No, it's fine, although I can't say I'm looking forward to doing it in the city."

"You do not have to drive the car much, I only want you to have the option."

"I have the option, there are four cars in your garage!" She huffed in annoyance.

"Well, you are unlikely to drive the limo and the green Hyundai is Goodrich's personal car."

"Fine, but you have two, can't I borrow one?"

"Of course, if you are going shopping or to visit the Gardiners, but you cannot drive either of my cars to work, I have a parking permit with my name on it affixed to both windshields, it would blow your cover."

She laughed briefly at his uncharacteristic wording, and was slightly mollified by his explanation. "It just seems so extravagant. I don't want your Aunt Catherine to say 'I told you so' when she finds out how much you spent on me."

"First of all, Sweetheart, it does not matter what that woman, or anybody else for that matter, thinks. Second, I am no longer on speaking terms with her, so I will not hear what she thinks anyway. Please, just promise me you'll think about it."

"Alright, I guess I have my bedtime reading for the next few nights picked out." She gestured to the massive pile of car brochures on her lap.

-o-o-o-o-

Although she had been quite annoyed with her husband earlier in the evening, Elizabeth seemed to have completely forgiven him when they retired that night. As he sat in bed trying to look through some of the literature the dealers had given them, she emerged from the bathroom in another of her wedding gifts from the Fitzwilliam ladies. His eyes were fixed on the pages before him, so he failed to notice her until she was touching him. His focus was immediately drawn away from the shiny pictures, and she took advantage of his distraction to yank the paper from his hands and fling it across the room. Before he could say anything at all, she kissed him with all the passion that the annoyance of the day had fueled inside of her.

Darcy had no idea what had brought on this suddenly aggressive Elizabeth, but was hardly in the mood to ponder. Something was fueling her passion and he was grateful. It did not take long before the lovers collapsed together in a sated heap.

"Thanks," Elizabeth whispered hoarsely a few moments later as she rolled onto her side, "I needed that."

Darcy looked at the back of her head incredulously. "Do you want to talk about your new car now?"

"Not particularly." She reached behind herself and grabbed his arm, pulling it across her body.

He was confused, but too tired to question her further, so he nuzzled his face into her fragrant hair and they fell asleep intertwined.

-o-o-o-o-

By the time she left work the next afternoon, Elizabeth had decided upon an acceptable compromise. She climbed into the passenger seat of his car and announced her condition. "I'll let you buy me a car if you'll move with me to the master bedroom."

"You cannot be serious Elizabeth, I told you why I do not wish to sleep there."

"Yeah, and I thought about it, but the fact is, someday we're going to have to move there, we can't leave it as a monument to your parents forever."

"Why not?" He sounded uncharacteristically petulant.

"Because Fitzwilliam, I understand you loved them, that you'll always miss them, but you're the man of the house now. I mean, you have been for years, but now you're married and it's time. Someday we'll have kids and it'll make a lot more sense to be there than in the bedroom we share now."

"We can move when we have children then."

"No, I want to move now, I'm tired of living out of a suitcase in your room. This is a way for you to prove you're taking this whole marriage thing seriously."

"Of course I am. If anyone is not taking this seriously, it is you. I have a lawyer working on the damn post-nuptial contract. We have both told our families. I wanted to tell the whole world, but you said no. You won't even let me wear a wedding ring."

Elizabeth looked hurt. "I thought we agreed that was for the best, to keep it all a secret until the summer's over."

"I know Sweetheart, I am sorry I said that. It's only that I wish to display our commitment in the same manner that you can." He lifted her left hand to his lips and kissed her fourth finger just past her ring. "I suppose I am just sensitive on this subject. Even as a teenager, I did not have any fantasies about sneaking a girl into my parents' room."

She laughed. "I never got that one myself. Anyway, this isn't about fantasy, it's about practicality. What if we redecorate like your aunt suggested?"

"New furniture might help, I suppose."

"If you wanted, we wouldn't even have to stop there. We could totally redo the room; carpet, wallpaper, everything. It would make it more our room instead of theirs."

"Why Elizabeth, I had no idea that you were so ambitious to make your mark on our home."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not just to prove I can, I'm not Caroline Bingley. You need to make it your own – our own. Right now I feel like I'm sleeping over at your place, it was especially weird when you were out of town. The master bedroom won't be yours or mine, it'll be ours. Think of the redecorating as a togetherness activity and when it's all done, you'll feel better about sleeping there."

"My parents' bed -" he began to whine before she cut him off abruptly.

"If you can't bear to part with it, we can put it in the storeroom or another bedroom. We don't have to get rid of it if you don't want to. We will definitely get our own brand new bed though if you don't want to move the one from our current room."

"You are a brilliant and thoughtful woman, Elizabeth."

"That's why you love me."

Darcy pulled into the garage and shut off the car. "Of course." He kissed her and they went into the house.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday, Elizabeth made a decision. She did need a car, but could not imagine herself driving any sort of luxury vehicle. That afternoon, she became the owner of a shiny new Toyota Camry in a pretty shade of blue. It was practical and she was pleased with her choice, but Darcy protested the entire trip to the dealer that she ought to have a nicer car. He tried to dissuade her from her staunch refusal to even consider a Lexus or BMW, but she would not be budged. He finally decided it might be best to pick his battles and bought her the car of her choosing, agreeing that its safety rating was, at least, up to his standards.

That night, Elizabeth insisted that her husband take Georgiana out alone as was their custom. She stayed at home and ate leftovers before making some long-neglected phone calls.

First, she called her grandmother in Florida. She was appalled at herself for failing to inform the older woman of her marriage in a more timely manner. After all, Bess Bennet knew how romantic and impulsive Darcy could be, she had witnessed it firsthand during her granddaughter's spring break. Although Elizabeth was very apologetic about her lack of communication, Bess laughed it off, pointing out that she knew what it was like to be a newlywed, and she was surprised to get a call even this early. Despite always having had an open and comfortable relationship with her grandmother, Elizabeth could not help but be embarrassed at the thought of what might have kept her grandparents so busy after their own wedding. She explained the internship situation and was pleased at the understanding she received at her decision.

"In my day, nearly the only way for a woman to get a position with any responsibility was to marry the head of a company, or at least sleep with him, although everyone pretended that didn't happen, now you have to act as though you don't know him. My, how far we've come."

"I don't have any responsibility Gram, I'm an intern."

"Well, either way, I am glad that you found a way to have your cake and eat it too. Especially one who looks as delicious as yours does." The two women laughed and chatted for a bit longer before hanging up.

Elizabeth's next phone call was to Charlotte. Praying Bill would not answer the phone, she fished out her address book and dialed their apartment in New York. Fortunately, it was her friend who answered and Elizabeth lost no time in explaining the entire situation, including the post-nuptial agreement.

"I'm glad you finally told me."

"You already knew?"

"Yeah, last weekend Ms. DeBourgh called; Bill was going crazy preparing that document as quickly as possible."

"I'm so sorry Char, We've just sort of been in this cocoon and we're not telling people here yet and -"

"I understand, it's not personal, I'm glad you called me now though. You didn't sign that awful marriage contract did you?"

"The one Bill prepared? No, Darcy wouldn't even show it to me. He got his lawyer here to write one up instead. Why, was it really that horrible?"

"Yeah, it basically said if you get a divorce, he gets all the money and the kids and you're not allowed anywhere near them."

"No wonder he refused to discuss it. Well, Robert Fitzwilliam, who's much nicer than his sister, recommended that we sign something for everybody's peace of mind and I agree. The more reasonable one should be ready early next week. Would you mind taking a look at it if I faxed it to you?"

"Sure, you can send it to the house, just call first so I know to send it right to the machine, then I'll be able to get it before Bill sees anything."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to cause trouble between you."

"No, it's okay, I'm a lawyer and you're one of my best friends. If you signed something this important without letting me review it, I might never forgive you."

Elizabeth laughed and asked how things were going with Bill, romantically. She did not particularly want to know, but knew it was her duty as a friend to inquire. Fortunately, Charlotte was generally happy and did not impart any lurid details regarding her love life, so the two young women had a pleasant chat.

Elizabeth's last call of the evening was to her family home in Ann Arbor. She mentally prepared herself for a difficult conversation with her father and picked up the phone again to dial. Her mother answered the telephone and hardly gave her a chance to speak before asking incessant questions about her new life as the wife of a rich man. Square footage and dollar values were of the utmost importance to Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth did her best to demur, but her mother would not be stopped. Finally, she told the woman about her new car and admitted to their redecorating plan then rolled her eyes as she received a plethora of terrible advice. Other than her mother, only Mary was home, so after speaking briefly to her middle sister, Elizabeth asked that her father be reminded to call back before hanging up. As she placed the phone back into its cradle, she inhaled deeply to suppress her tears. It had been nearly three weeks since she had last spoken to her father, right before she left Ann Arbor. Somehow he never seemed to be available when she called. They had always been so close and the sudden rejection wounded her deeply.

-o-o-o-o-

When Darcy and Georgiana returned home, they found Elizabeth lying on the living room sofa reading a book. The three of them chatted amiably for a while before they headed upstairs for bed.

Once alone, Elizabeth told her husband about her phone calls that evening. He was concerned about Charlotte's ability to represent his wife's best interests given her employer and insisted on hiring a local lawyer to review the document on her behalf. Elizabeth agreed on the condition that she could still consult her friend as well. A part of her was fairly certain that Charlotte had not been joking when she had threatened no forgiveness.

Elizabeth's turmoil over her deteriorating relationship with her father made Darcy clench his jaw in irritation. He had often wondered what, other than blood, made her so devoted to that man, but vowed to try and ameliorate the situation. For the time being however, all he could do was stroke her hair and whisper comforting words.

The mention of Bess Bennet sent a wave of guilt through Darcy. He suddenly realized that he had not called his own grandmother since before their impromptu wedding and felt extremely guilty for such unconscionable neglect. After explaining the situation to Elizabeth and checking his watch, he reached for the telephone. Elizabeth stood, planning to head for the bathroom to give him privacy for his conversation, but she was arrested by his hand at her wrist. He motioned for her to sit down as the phone began ringing. Soon, she could hear half of a conversation.

"Hi Grandma, I am terribly sorry for the lack of communication recently."

"That is true, I have been very busy, but not with work. I have a more wonderful distraction."

"Yes, the one I told you about, Elizabeth. Again, I am sorry that I did not call before now, but you should know that we got married on the eleventh."

"No, not yet, she will be starting her master's degree at Northwestern in the fall. We will probably not have children until after she finishes with that."

Elizabeth could not help but roll her eyes at the fact that his grandmother had obviously asked the same question everybody else was wondering; when was the baby due?

"Of course, I am very happy, she is definitely the love of my life." Darcy reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

"She did? I am glad, especially since I was so negligent."

"No, we are not announcing it yet because there are vocational complications." He went on to explain about the wedding and their reasons for keeping it under temporary wraps.

"Yes, she is right here."

"All right then, I will talk to you later Grandma. I love you too." He handed the phone to Elizabeth, who had to take it with her left hand as her other was still trapped by his. It was his turn to hear half of a conversation.

"Hello Mrs. Darcy, it is nice to finally talk to you, I have heard so much about you from your grandchildren."

"Alright then, Grandma, since we are related now, when do I get to meet you?

"He already did actually, I was spending my spring break with her in Florida and he flew down to visit me. I had no idea before that your grandson was such a romantic."

"I don't really know what our schedule is like for the rest of the summer. We'll have to get back to you on that."

"Okay, I look forward to it too. Have a good night Mrs. Da- Grandma."

Elizabeth hung up the phone and turned to her husband. "She seems like a very nice lady. She wants us to come visit this summer. I bet she has to check me out to make sure I'm good enough for her grandson."

"She is going to love you. It might be easier though, if she came here. Would you mind being a hostess for a short while?"

"With Mrs. Reynolds to help me, how can I say no?"

They agreed to invite Beverly Darcy for a visit, either later that summer or in the fall, then went about getting ready for bed, which mostly consisted of removing their clothes then collapsing together on the bed.

After they had both been satisfied, they lay curled up together and Darcy reintroduced the topic of his grandmother.

"She already knew."

"Who knew what?" Elizabeth was half asleep and her mind did not automatically leap back to their previous conversation.

"My grandmother, she knew that we were married, Georgie told her."

"And she refrained from calling you to ask about it? The woman has remarkable restraint, I'm looking forward to meeting her.

"You two will get along wonderfully, I just know it."

'If she's anything like her grandchildren, I don't see how I could fail to love her."

Darcy kissed the top of his wife's head and they drifted off to sleep.


	50. Chapter 50

_Author's Note: You may notice that it is taking me longer to post between chapters, that is because I have been getting to the less-written part o__f my story. __I started with a partially written and proofread story so o__riginally, I just had to post, then I had to edit and post, now I have to refine and edit and post, in a couple of chapters, I will only have an outline to work with, then not long after that, I will be working from scr__atch. Please be patient and give me lots of encouragement to keep working and I will try to to make you wait too incredibly long._

_Thanks,_

_Kelly_

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-50

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 84% intact._

**Chapter 50**

_Friday 1 June 2001_

On Friday morning, just after the alarm went off, Elizabeth made a demand of her husband. "I want to go out on a date."

"With whom?"

It was a feeble joke, but the fact that he had tried at all made her laugh out loud. "It doesn't really matter so long as he is tall, dark, and handsome. I do have a type you know." She trailed her forefinger down his chest as she spoke.

He grabbed her finger just and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. "What brought on this desire?"

"I came to Chicago this summer expecting to be wooed by my hopeless romantic of a boyfriend. Instead, I find myself an old married lady before I've been here a month. So tonight, if you want to get lucky, you'll have to earn it."

Darcy could not hold in a snort of disbelief at her ultimatum and grabbed her by the waist, intent on proving to her that he could 'get lucky' at that very moment with minimal effort.

"I'm serious!" she insisted as she wriggled free from his grasp and got up from the bed. "You have to wine and dine me tonight."

He watched appreciatively as her nude form dashed across the room and into the bathroom. When he got up a moment later however, he was disappointed to find the door locked even though he heard the shower running. Heaving a sigh, he remained in the separate sink area and began to shave.

When Elizabeth unlocked the door and emerged wrapped in a towel, she kissed him on his newly smooth cheek and cheerfully announced "your turn," before returning to the bedroom to dress for work.

-o-o-o-o-

Their discussion over breakfast was topical. Darcy asked his sister if she would like Richard to join her for dinner so that she would not be alone.

Georgiana responded irritably that she was not in need of a sitter and in fact had plans to babysit for real children that evening.

"Do you need a ride? I think Goodrich's daughters are visiting him this weekend."

"No, I'm sitting for the Patels just down the street. Their nanny is sick. Don't worry, I shouldn't be gone too long, it's just some charity dinner they have to attend, I doubt that will go all night."

After she sulked off to get her backpack, her bewildered brother informed Mrs. Reynolds that she would not need to prepare dinner that evening then looked at Elizabeth questioningly.

"She's upset because you treat her like a child, Fitzwilliam."

"She is a child," he defended himself, "a child for whom I am responsible."

"No, she's a teenager and she'd be just fine by herself. She has a point you know; you let her babysit for the Gardiners, but won't leave her home alone. She wouldn't be totally alone anyway, Mrs. Reynolds is here."

"I just -" he had no rational explanation for his behavior, "I just don't want her to grow up," he whispered faintly.

"I know you don't, you're just like any other parent really." Elizabeth gave him a peck on the lips, then headed upstairs to brush her teeth, leaving him alone at the kitchen table to think over what had occurred.

Later, as Darcy watched his wife climb into her own car and drive off, he regretted having bought it for her, despite the practicality. The commute to work was just more time that he would have to spend apart from her now.

That afternoon, he made a reservation for two at a fancy restaurant near the lake. He spent the rest of the day waiting for five o'clock when she would magically change from an underling to his wife. Suddenly it occurred to him that since she had her own car now, he would have to wait up to an extra hour, depending on traffic, to see her again. He sighed in defeat and threw himself into his work, hoping to make the time go faster.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy was waiting in the kitchen when Elizabeth got home. She tossed her new keys onto the counter and announced, "I am never driving to work again."

"What happened?"

"Every driver in this city is crazy, I'm not used to this sort of traffic. Plus, it would be way better for the environment if I just took public transit like I meant to originally."

"You have been riding with me every day for weeks now. How can the traffic come as such a shock to you?"

She mumbled something incoherent then, at his raised eyebrow, repeated herself. "I don't really pay much attention to anything else when you're around."

He smiled widely and pulled her into his lap where he kissed her soundly. "Our reservation is for seven o'clock, can you be ready in half an hour?

"Only if you let me go right now."

"We shall just have to be late then," he murmured against her lips before kissing her again.

Eventually Elizabeth did manage to wriggle free from her husband's grasp and head up the stairs to get ready. It did not take her long, and she met him in the living room twenty-five minutes later wearing the Versace gown he had purchased for her, her shoulders barely covered by a delicate lace shawl, a gift from her mother. She wore simple earrings and her wedding ring, but no other jewelry. Noting her bare neck, Darcy regretted not buying her a necklace at the jewelry shop they day they married. Still, he considered, if he had chosen the necklace she might not be living with him now, as his wife.

Seeing the direction of his intense gaze, Elizabeth's hand flew to her throat. "I don't have anything nice enough for this dress. Maybe a string of pearls would . . ." Her voice trailed off as she noticed he was not paying attention to her words as his eyes swept over the rest of her body.

Darcy looked at his wife with hunger as he imagined what she was wearing underneath it. He certainly hoped that she had put the rest of his gift to use, he very much wanted to see how his lingerie selections fit her. Tamping down the desire to drag her back upstairs and find out immediately, he complimented her on her beauty and took her arm before bidding farewell to Mrs. Reynolds and heading out the door.

-o-o-o-o-

In the garage, Darcy held open the passenger door of his silver Mercedes.

"I never really got this car." Elizabeth commented just before he closed the door. She had to wait until he had rounded the vehicle and climbed into the driver's seat to get a response.

"What is there to get?"

"You were all obsessed with new luxury cars when we were shopping for me. It just seems a little weird to me that you haven't upgraded in like seven years. Not that this isn't a perfectly nice car, I like it a lot, I'm just curious why you still drive it.

"It was a gift from my father." He paused for a long moment and Elizabeth thought that might be all the explanation she would get before he hesitantly went on. "He bought it for me when I graduated from Yale, it was the last thing he gave me before . . ." Darcy trailed off, but she knew how the story ended.

"That's sweet." She leaned over and gave his right arm a squeeze. There was a comfortable silence for a while before they began a new and lighter conversation that took them all the way to the restaurant.

-o-o-o-o-

The couple had a very elegant dinner, complete with champagne. They ordered soufflé for dessert, and to fill the time before it would be ready, they made their way out onto the dance floor.

"You know," Elizabeth said, as Darcy took her in his arms, "This is the first time we've ever danced. I was beginning to think we might never get around to it."

He knew immediately to what she referred and groaned into her hair. "I believe that I already expressed my regret for those thoughtless and completely false words about you that evening. I would not mind apologizing in the same manner again, but I would hate to get kicked out of the restaurant for indecent exposure and lewd behavior."

She laughed and allowed that he could put off his apology until they returned home. The couple danced happily until their final course was delivered.

-o-o-o-o-

"Thank you for a lovely evening." Elizabeth kissed Darcy on the cheek as he draped her shawl across her shoulders.

"The evening is not over yet." He whispered suggestively into her ear.

She giggled lightly. "I see you are taking what I said this morning seriously." He raised an eyebrow at her as if to ask for elaboration. She waited until they had left the restaurant to specify. "About getting lucky, you remember the conversation."

"I do, I just wanted to hear you say it. I plan to make you say all sorts of things later tonight."

"What kind of girl do you think I am?" She looked at him in a mock accusatory manner.

He held open her door, then circled to his own before answering her question. "I think you are the most loving, passionate, sensual, intelligent, kind, and beautiful woman I have ever met and if you were not already my wife, I would be down on one knee right now asking for your hand in marriage."

Elizabeth felt her pulse beat more quickly at his words. "My God, you do know how to lay it on thick."

Darcy looked a little hurt. "I mean every word I say to you, Sweetheart. I would never lie to you about my feelings, or about anything at all."

"I know that Fitzwilliam, it's just that you're often so stoic, I forget about what a sweet talker you can be, it takes me by surprise sometimes."

"I hope that it is a welcome surprise."

She only smiled and leaned closer to him, squeezing his right arm gently and leaning her head against his shoulder.

They chatted amiably on the drive home, and walked into the house hand in hand. Unfortunately, before they reached the stairs, Darcy noticed a new piece of paper tacked to the message board in the entryway.

"Elizabeth, Mrs. Reynolds left a note, your father called."

"Really? I have to call him back." She checked the clock then looked regretfully at her husband. "He should still be up now. I'm sorry to interrupt date night, but I haven't talked to him since we left Ann Arbor."

"I understand. I will be upstairs whenever you are ready to join me." With a kiss he left her looking warily at the telephone.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth had been wanting to speak to her father for weeks. She knew that he must have been avoiding her, there was no way that he was so constantly absent as to miss all of her calls. Still, now that he had finally reached out to her, she was afraid of what he might have to say. He had never liked Darcy, and had been displeased when they were dating. His reaction to the news of their marriage was upsetting and she was afraid to hear what he might want to say to her now. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for an unwanted lecture, Elizabeth picked up the phone and dialed. Dr. Bennet answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Daddy. I got a message that you called. What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you Lizzy, it has been a while since we last spoke. Although when I called this evening, your secretary said that you were out for the evening." His tone was derisive.

"Mrs. Reynolds is the housekeeper, and I was out. Darcy took me on a date. Anyway, I've tried to talk to you," Elizabeth insisted, irritated, "you never seem to be around anymore."

"I needed some time to think, I suppose. How was your date?"

From the tone of his voice, Elizabeth could tell that he did not really want to know the answer. Still, she responded as calmly as she could. "It was lovely. We went out for dinner and dancing. I had a chocolate soufflé."

"Really? I was under the impression that he did not want to dance with you." Dr. Bennet's voice was cold.

"That's not fair, he said one stupid thing a long time ago. We've discussed it and gotten past it." Her cheeks flushed for the second time that night as she thought of the manner in which they had 'discussed' it some weeks ago. "I don't know why you're so obsessed with something he once said when you weren't even there."

"I only worry about you Lizzy, I want you to be happy. You do not have to stay there you know, I can come and get you any time. I am only a phone call away from you." His voice had turned pleading.

"If you want me to be happy, then you should support my marriage. I love Darcy and I'm happy here with him."

Her father had nothing to say to that. There was a pause before he spoke again. "I miss you, Lizzy. Without your presence, this house has descended into impossible silliness."

"I miss you too, Daddy. I'm sure you can find somebody to talk to, give Jane a chance."

"Jane is never home anymore, and when she is, she spends all her time in her bedroom on the telephone."

"Well then, reach out to Mary." Elizabeth was becoming frustrated. "Maybe Kitty could use some one-on-one parental time before she turns out like Lydia, who could also benefit from a little attention by the way."

"Lydia has had plenty of attention of late."

"Yeah, but only the negative kind. Try taking her out to a movie or dinner. You might discover things about her that you never knew." Again, Dr. Bennet was silent, so she went on, her voice taking on an exasperated tone. "Look, you can either spend time with the daughters who still live with you or you can sit in your study complaining about how bored you are. I am glad that you called me back, but we will have continue this another time, I have a date to finish."

"Lizzy!" He was appalled at what she implied.

"I love you Daddy, I'll talk to you later."

"I miss you," his voice was little more than a whisper, "goodbye."

-o-o-o-o-

After hanging up the phone and taking a few deep breaths in order to tamp down her frustration with her father, Elizabeth climbed the stairs to join her husband in their bedroom. She found him sitting in the armchair reading. His shirt was unbuttoned just enough to show a hint of his chest hair and his jacket and tie were nowhere to be seen, she presumed he had hung them in the closet already. Darcy looked up as soon as she opened the door.

"How is your father?"

"Frustrating." She rolled her eyes and he put down his book and opened his arms to her. She went into them willingly and curled up in his lap. "I'm sorry I interrupted our date to talk to him."

"I understand, you miss him."

"I thought I did. I mean, I do, he just drives me nuts sometimes." Darcy just rubbed her back gently until she felt ready to continue. "It's like he blames me for his lack of rational conversation these days. Didn't he expect me to move out eventually? Plus, I don't think he gets that I'm an adult." At her husband's questioning look, she elaborated. "We've never really been able to talk about my relationships or anything, but I didn't realize until recently how completely repressed my home life was. You know, he's never acknowledged Lydia's pregnancy lie? He grounded her for running away, but I don't think he's said a word about Wickham. My mom sort of had 'the talk' with me, but it was mostly limited to 'don't do it' and 'since I know you're going to anyway, be careful'. It's a wonder that I grew up as well-adjusted as I did."

She laid her head on his chest and they sat together in silence until he rose to his feet, carefully hoisting her up into his arms. "Let's get you ready for bed."

He carried her into the bathroom, where he began undressing her in an unhurried manner. Although his hands drifted across her skin, the action was more comforting than sensual. Elizabeth was a bit appalled when he draped the expensive designer dress over a towel rod, but was too emotionally exhausted to really object, although physically she felt fine. Standing in her lacy black underwear, she waited patiently for him to return to her.

Darcy did not remove the lingerie immediately. He merely stood and regarded her for a few moments before moving closer and placing his hands on her waist. After brushing a chaste kiss across her lips, he leaned over and turned on the tap to start filling the bathtub. Elizabeth watched him close the drain, and pulled back so that she could look into his eyes.

"There's no way we'll both fit in that tub."

He smiled. "I know, I was going to give you a bath."

"That's sweet, but not tonight." She regarded his disappointed face, but turned off the tap anyway, opening the drain to let out the small amount of water that had already accumulated. "We'll try the bath thing again when we have a tub we can fit in together, like on our honeymoon. For now, I don't need to be pampered, I need . . . why don't we get you undressed and ready for bed too?"

He reluctantly agreed and was taken aback when as soon as they had crossed the threshold into the bedroom, she attacked the buttons on his dress shirt. He barely had time to unfasten the cuffs before it was off him and on the floor. His pants quickly followed, and Elizabeth stepped back in surprise at what she encountered beneath them.

"You bought boxers, for me? Ooh, silk!"

He smiled in amusement at her reaction. She could not take her eyes off of his new underwear. Her hands stroked across his body and together they moved to the bed, lying across it sideways.

Elizabeth allowed her head to fall victim to gravity, which made her lightheaded and slightly dizzy, enhancing all the sensations she felt. As she became vocal about her pleasure, a large hand covered her mouth.

Once they were both satisfied, Darcy rotated her gently so that they could both lie fully on the bed. She grabbed his left hand, which she had bitten, and kissed it tenderly. "I'm sorry about the teeth marks. I assume Georgie's home?"

"I am not sure, but I thought that just in case she was . . ." He looked at Elizabeth apologetically, but she was not upset.

"Of course, I obviously wasn't thinking. I couldn't have if I tried, that was amazing." She allowed him to lift her enough to turn down the sheets, then join her between them. She snuggled against his chest and closed her eyes. "Thanks for the wonderful date, it was the second best one I've ever had."

"The second best?" Darcy was slightly hurt; he had thought it to be the perfect night.

"Yeah, I had an even better one a few weeks ago, it started with a picnic and hasn't ended yet."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It never will." He had to agree with her, the night they married had been the best date of his life as well.


	51. Chapter 51

_I usually have a note here about the more adult version of this story, available at the following address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-51

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_However, the note is unnecessary because with the exception of some formatting differences, this chapter is identical to the one there._

**Chapter 51**

_Monday 4 June 2001 – Friday 8 June 2001_

On Monday, Elizabeth drove to work, despite her previous claim that she never again would. She managed to return home before her husband and was surprised to see mail addressed to her waiting on the kitchen table.

Upon opening the envelope she discovered a platinum credit card in her name. Wondering how the annoying pre-approval people got her new address, she very nearly threw it away before a few key words on the accompanying letter caught her eye. Realizing what had happened, she sighed and stowed the card safely in her wallet, deciding to be pleased that Darcy had at least had the card issued in her legal name. She had been half afraid that she would be inundated with things that said "Elizabeth Darcy" even though they had discussed it and he seemed to accept her decision to not change her name.

Darcy arrived not long after she had discovered the card.

"I got something interesting in the mail today."

"What did you get, Sweetheart?" He kissed her on the top of the head before sitting beside her at the table.

"I got a shiny new credit card." Her look was slightly accusatory and he understood her meaning immediately.

"I meant to tell you about that," his wife's gaze narrowed, "I mean discuss it with you, but I forgot. For some reason I find it very difficult to keep my train of thought in your presence." He was already losing track of their conversation as she stroked his foot with her own.

"I saw the credit limit, what do you expect me to buy that is worth a hundred thousand dollars?"

"More lingerie?" He asked hopefully.

Elizabeth laughed in response. "You haven't even seen everything your aunt and cousin got for me yet, try again."

"Gas for your new car?"

"I won't need it if I start taking the L to work."

"You know how I feel about that. Anyway, I just thought you needed a card to use for various expenses, but now that it has come, it occurs to me that it may be useful in decorating the master bedroom. You also need to come to the bank with me sometime. What are you doing for lunch tomorrow?"

"Why do we need to go to the bank?"

"We need to add your name to my checking account, the manager insisted that it could not be done without your presence and signature.

"Great, after that's done, I can leave you and keep the cash." She knew that she did not have to use his money, but even the thought of having unfettered access to it made her uncomfortable. She had to crack a joke to keep her unease from being evident.

"Elizabeth, please do not even tease me about that."

"I'm sorry." She got up and sat on his lap, kissing his cheek in apology. "Georgie has a study group tonight, what do you want to do?" Her lips traveled along his jawline and kept him from speaking for a few moments.

"I have plenty of ideas, some which do not even require us to leave the kitchen."

She laughed. "We don't want to give Mrs. Reynolds a heart attack. Besides, there's plenty of time for that later, I thought we might begin to shop for new carpet and wallpaper."

"Have we decided on a color scheme yet?"

"No, we have to pick up some swatches so we can think about them first."

Darcy groaned as Elizabeth hopped off his lap and grabbed her purse. She pulled him out the door by his hand and they took the first step toward moving into the master bedroom.

While they were out, he insisted on buying her a cellular telephone. Despite her calling it nothing but an "electronic leash" that he would use to keep track of her, she acquiesced, knowing that her overprotective husband would fear less for her safety if she kept it on her person and hoping that her father would be more willing to call her and leave messages if he knew that she was the only one who would answer the phone.

-o-o-o-o-

On Wednesday when Elizabeth arrived home, she saw her husband pacing nervously in the kitchen. "I need to talk to you," was all he said before taking her arm gently and leading her into his study. Once inside he made sure the door was firmly closed and led her to the chair in front of his desk. He sat in his own chair and looked at her across the desk for a few moments before rising and walking around to where she was, choosing to lean on the the desk near her.

"Someone came to see me today. Wait, I need to start earlier, this is just so upsetting."

"Would it help if we sat together?" She looked pointedly toward the armchair in the room.

Darcy understood her suggestion, but knew that it would be even more difficult to make the necessary confession with her in his lap, so he shook his head and forged ahead.

"You know that I was dating a woman when I first came to Michigan with Bingley."

"I heard a rumor to that effect, yes."

"Her name was – is – Marissa. We had been together for nearly a year then. We were having some trouble and a bit of time apart seemed to me like a good idea. We were still officially dating I suppose, but that is hardly the point."

When he paused to collect his thoughts, Elizabeth considered that she had never heard him speak so awkwardly. She realized that something must be weighing heavily on his mind and reached for his hand, squeezing it gently in encouragement. The gesture seemed to work because he continued.

"The weekend after we left Ann Arbor, well before I asked you out in December, of course, I took Marissa out on a reunion date of sorts, but it ended badly. We broke up. I did not see her again until she showed up in my office this afternoon, eight months pregnant."

Elizabeth counted the months on her fingers and could not keep from commenting. "The date couldn't have ended that badly then. You left Michigan eight months ago."

"Yes, well, she claims the baby is mine, but I have my reasons to doubt her."

"Doubt her, but not disbelieve her completely?" Elizabeth did her best to keep her face unreadable, but it was a skill she lacked, and hurt showed in her expression.

"Well we did . . . we were together once after I came back, in fact that is why it ended so badly." His cheeks were bright red, Elizabeth had never before seen him so embarrassed. She pressed her lips together to keep from asking him to elaborate until he was ready.

"The main reason that I doubt her is because she did not come to me until today. She has obviously known about the child for months without approaching me. Richard is dating a friend of hers and apparently he mentioned our marriage. Only now did Marissa feel the need to approach me for money to raise my alleged child. She intimated that if I was not forthcoming with funds, she would 'tell Elizabeth all about what happened'. It was more of a threat than a request really."

Elizabeth could not hold back any longer at this revelation. "Why would she assume that telling me is such a threat? Surely she doesn't think I expected you to have never slept with anyone before. I mean I can't pretend I'm happy with the whole situation, but I really have no grounds on which to be angry. You were neither cheating nor willfully neglecting your responsibility."

The flush which had begun to recede form Darcy's cheeks rushed back. "The way she said your name – I know what she thinks. It is just such an embarrassing story."

"You can tell me anything."

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and began his tale. "You know that I began to fall in love with you last autumn, but at the time I was in a relationship and you wanted nothing to do with me, although I suppose I was not aware of that at the time. The weekend after I returned from Michigan with Bingley, I took Marissa out on a date. I admit that I hoped seeing her again would reignite the spark we had once had and help me to forget about you." Darcy looked at his wife apologetically. "Dinner was a bit awkward, but we got through it and went back to her apartment to, ah, continue the reunion." He could no longer make eye contact, but went on with the story, studying his nails carefully as he spoke. "During the – act, I admit that my mind was not entirely on my partner. I had found her attractive before, but all of a sudden she was too blonde, too tall, too thin; it just felt wrong. Anyway, I suppose my thoughts wandered because at the, um, culmination of our activity, I said someone else's name."

"Whose name?" Elizabeth's question came out in a whisper.

"Yours."

"So she thought you were cheating on her."

"I suppose I was, emotionally at least. More importantly though, she thinks I was cheating on you with her."

"So she's threatening to tell me about the baby, and consequently your alleged unfaithfulness, unless you give her hush money."

"Basically, yes. The fact that I am only hearing about this child now suggests to me that it is not mine, or she would have come to me with her financial request before. She must know that I would take responsibility for my own progeny regardless of my relationship with her. I assume that when she heard that I had married a woman named Elizabeth, she made the connection and decided the best way to get money and never have to see me again would be to blackmail me. I must say that I find myself shocked by the whole situation. She and I were not particularly compatible, but I never thought her capable of extortion."

"Well, you know, 'heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.'* People can get pretty pissed off at those they once loved, although clearly she doesn't know you as well as she'd like to think. You could never just give her the money and walk away, you're too good a man for that; you would want to raise the baby, or at least be involved in its life. She's counting on the assumption that you'd rather keep your supposed infidelity a secret from me than see your own child."

"If it even is my child."

"Of course."

"I am sorry Elizabeth, I never meant to complicate your life so, but you needed to know, this does involve you too now."

"You absolutely did the right thing in telling me." She rose from the chair and moved to stand between his legs where he sat at the edge of his desk, clasping his large hands between her smaller ones. "Have you decided what to do?"

"Some ideas have occurred to me, but I am not sure that I have fully processed the possibility yet." He met her gaze with a pained look in his eyes. "I cannot imagine anybody but you being the mother of my child."

Elizabeth lifted his hands to her lips and kissed them tenderly. "Can I make a suggestion?" At his nod she continued. "We can meet with her together. Maybe on Friday night we could even invite her over here. Georgie has that end of school party, so she won't be around. We'll ask for a paternity test. If you are the father of this baby, we need to be involved in its life. If Marissa won't agree to shared custody, I'm sure we can convince a judge that it's best for -"

Darcy freed one hand from hers and pressed his fingers gently against her lips. "Don't put the cart before the horse Sweetheart, the DNA test needs to come first."

She nodded and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his back. "I love you, thank you for trusting me with this."

"Thank you for – thank you." He kissed the top of her head and they held each other for some time.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy called his ex-girlfriend and made arrangements to meet her on Friday, not at his home, but at a restaurant that he did not frequent just outside of town. He did not want anyone he knew to witness the disaster he suspected might occur.

The evening did not start off well. Marissa was surprised when he did not arrive alone and was furious at the request for a paternity test and conditional custody. She accused Elizabeth of being a gold-digger who did not even care what her husband did as long as she had access to his money. She was stunned to find out that they had only been dating since February.

Elizabeth could tell that the other woman was more hurt than truly angry, so after introducing herself she sat mostly silently and allowed the insults to slide off as the former couple conversed.

"But in October you said -"

"I know what I said then," Darcy interrupted her, "and so does Elizabeth, but what she told you is true. We have only been officially together for a few months now."

"And you're married already."

"I suppose when it is right, you just know." Suddenly, Darcy realized to whom he was speaking. "Excuse me, I did not mean anything by that."

"Yes you did, you meant that you love her and you never loved me."

"I am sorry."

"Yeah, me too, but I can't accuse you of dishonesty. You never claimed to have feelings you didn't. You weren't one of those guys who says he loves a girl just to get her into bed." She sighed in resignation.

As Elizabeth watched the back and forth, she could feel most of the ire ebbing away from both participants. She felt uncomfortable, but pleased for the sake of the child, she did not want it to have to be born into a world where its parents hated each other. Marissa shed a few tears at one point, but was quick to blame her hormones more than the company. She dabbed her face discreetly with a napkin as Darcy patted her shoulder awkwardly.

Eventually, the food arrived and they all ate in silence for some time before Marissa made an admission. "I cheated on you."

"When?"

"About a week before you came back from Michigan. I went to a club with some friends from work and we were all pretty drunk. I woke up in the morning with one of them; he's a doctor, an old friend from med school who always had a bit of a crush on me. Anyway, he's been pretty great about all this, he offered to help with the baby too even though I don't really need it. I have a job and the money my dad left me, which will help when I need time off for this." She gestured unnecessarily to her protruding stomach.

"Does he know it might not be his?"

"No, I was going to get a paternity test after the baby's born. I would have told him if he wasn't, but I think he is, I mean it's likely. I - " she hesitated, clearly not proud of what she had to say. "I know I used protection with you, I am not so sure with him." She covered her face with her hands.

"Why did you come to me then?"

Marissa became defensive. "It is a real possibility, you know. Besides, it's not like I was plotting this for months or anything, it just occurred to me the other day when Nina told me that Richard mentioned you were married. When I heard your wife's name I put two and two together and I guess I just saw red. I assumed you had been stringing us both along for God knows how long before you and I broke up. I think – I felt like I needed to make you pay and I figured you'd cough up the cash to prevent, well this exact moment really."

"If I am the father of this child, unlikely as it may be, I will provide whatever you need financially. Of course, I will also want to have a relationship with him or her. Elizabeth agrees with me; that is non-negotiable."

She tried to blink away the tears that were again forming in her eyes. "Of course, you're too honorable a guy to just forget about me now aren't you?"

"Not while any possibility of my paternity exists. Will you consider finding out for sure before you give birth?"

"I'll think about it."

"If I am this child's father, I would like to be there, from the very beginning I mean."

Marissa was just pushing the food around her plate at this point. "I'll call you." She stood and left the table, headed not for the door, but for the bathroom.

After a few moments of contemplation, Elizabeth rose to her feet and went in the same direction. She met the other woman exiting the restroom and made a request of her own. "If Darcy is this baby's father, please let him know as soon as possible. He could never forgive himself if he missed his child's birth for any reason. I know that things ended badly between the two of you and I know that he wasn't exactly a saint, but he never meant to hurt you, and you have the chance here to severely hurt him."

"You really love him don't you?"

"Very much."

"Then I'm happy for you." She looked like she genuinely wanted to mean it. "I'll schedule an amnio* soon and call you if Darcy's the father. If he isn't though, it might be best for us not to see each other anymore, like ever." There was pain in the pregnant woman's eyes.

"Can I give you my e-mail address, please? I know you don't want to talk to either of us any more than you have to. This way you can let me know either way with as little interaction as possible." Elizabeth dug in her purse for her notepad and jotted down the address, adding her new cell phone number for good measure. "Just in case." She then held out her hand in a gesture of friendship. Marissa touched it with her own hand, but barely shook at all before fleeing from the restaurant, nearly overcome with emotion.

Elizabeth returned to the table alone and the couple finished their dinners with little conversation.

-x-x-x-x-

*This quote, often shortened to "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" (and sometimes incorrectly attributed to Shakespeare) is from the 1697 poem "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve

*Amniocentesis ("amnio" for short) is a prenatal test that uses a needle to collect the fetus's DNA, which is present in amniotic fluid. The DNA can be used to test for a variety of things including genetic disorders and paternity.


	52. Chapter 52

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-52

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 76% intact._

**Chapter 52**

_Saturday 16 June 2001 – Sunday 17 June 2001_

The next week moved slowly. Both Darcy and Elizabeth were secretly hoping to receive a negative response to the question of his paternity but felt guilty about such a wish for their own reasons. Georgiana had finished school for the year and was enjoying her time off before she started the volunteer tutoring program she had joined for the summer.

Although they spent their nights in the same bed, the married couple may as well have slept in separate rooms or even houses. There were no harsh words, but neither were there caresses and endearments as there had been on earlier nights of their marriage. Even without words though, their bodies sought each other subconsciously. They would fall asleep on separate sides of the mattress but wake up, more often than not, spooned together comfortably until reality would set in and they would spring apart to get ready for the day.

Elizabeth knew that her husband wanted children, soon. He had made no secret of his wishes. Although she was willing to give him a family eventually, she wanted to finish her education and work full time for a while before starting it. While she desired to get nothing more than a brief e-mail from Marissa promising never to contact them again, the idea that she was anticipating an outcome that would deny Darcy the immediate family he desired weighed heavily on her mind.

Darcy considered the many bedrooms of his childhood home and how wonderful it would feel when children of his own inhabited them. In every fantasy he had however, the youngsters running through the halls had Elizabeth's green eyes and curly brown hair. Try as he might, he could not imagine a future that included children conceived in any way except through his love for Elizabeth. His guilt stemmed from the knowledge that it was his own past decisions that had caused such a difficult situation. He knew he could not have made it to their wedding a virgin like his wife had, but he also knew that it was partially his ego that had kept him from admitting his feelings immediately to Marissa and breaking off their relationship the month before it had finally ended. He knew that it was unfair to ask that his actions not have consequences, but he hoped for it nonetheless.

Georgiana wondered what was going on with her brother and his wife. They were not cold to each other exactly, but they were also not affectionate to the extent that they had been before. It seemed to her as if someone had turned a fire hose on them and they were afraid to get too close again. Conversation over dinner was generally pleasant but subdued and when she went out to dinner with Darcy on Thursday night, he hardly spoke a word.

-o-o-o-o-

On Saturday after lunch, Darcy dropped his sister off at a friend's house. When he returned home he walked by his study and he heard a faint noise within. He pushed the door open slowly and looked inside. What he saw there was his wife, sitting on his desk chair with her knees drawn up to her chest sobbing quietly. He could see that she had been using his computer to check her e-mail and made an assumption regarding the sender of her last message.

"Bad news?" He asked, doing his best not to look at the screen and invade her privacy in case the e-mail was not from Marissa or contained content that was not for him to read. It took all of his willpower.

Elizabeth was startled to hear his voice, but looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and forced a small smile onto her lips. "No, good news. At least I think it's good news. It's what I wanted, I'm sorry if you didn't, but . . ." She trailed off and gestured to the screen, inviting him to read the results for himself.

It took barely a second for him to read the half dozen words that composed his ex-girlfriend's message. Six words, ten syllables that set him free and would forever be burned into his memory. "Well," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "she is concise."

Suddenly, Elizabeth burst into laughter. Her reaction may have been inappropriate, but it was what she needed at that moment. Darcy looked at her strangely, but could not help chuckling himself. He calmed down long before his wife who continued laughing loudly for several minutes.

"Are you alright, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sorry, it's just been a really emotional week and then to have it end like this." She looked at the screen and read aloud, "'he's not the father, goodbye forever.' Talk about brief."

Darcy knelt before Elizabeth and squeezed her hands encouragingly. "Tell me what you're feeling."

"Relief, guilt, confusion."

"Me too."

"I mean, I know you want a baby soon, but I still didn't want this one to be yours. Was that wrong of me?"

"No, Elizabeth, of course not. When I said I wanted children, I did not mean in general, I meant with you. Only ever with you."

She slid off the chair and onto her knees on the floor facing Darcy. Her eyes had filled with tears again but she was still smiling, so he went on. "I cannot imagine having children who did not have beautiful green eyes."

Elizabeth closed her eyes when her husband leaned toward her. He brushed a soft kiss over each of her eyelids, then pressed his lips to her forehead lovingly.

"You know, our kids might end up with brown eyes like their father."

He pulled back and smiled. "That might be alright too, as long as they have curly brown hair," he twirled a lock of hers about his finger, "that shines red in the sun."

"We could also have blue-eyed, blond-haired kids," the discussion made her smile despite everything that had led up to it, "we've both got the recessive genes. You know, I'm the only member of my family with green eyes?"

"I had noticed that. Of course, how could I fail to notice the most beautiful eyes in the world?"

"Okay, sweet talker, this position isn't super comfortable for me and you can't be doing much better. What do you say about us taking this whole emotional reconciliation thing elsewhere?"

"Could we take it to the bedroom?"

Elizabeth smiled as she stood. "I don't see why not."

The couple headed upstairs hand in hand amid laughter that was overheard by a pleased Mrs. Reynolds before she returned to her own home.

-o-o-o-o-

Once they were behind the closed door of their bedroom, there was a slight awkwardness before Darcy decided to forge ahead.

"I am sorry that I have been so distant this past week."

"It's okay, I have been too. I guess I just didn't know quite what to say about this whole . . . situation."

"I know that you want to wait to have children, and I understand that. I just want you to know that I am happy to have you all to myself until you feel you are ready."

"Thank you."

"I love you, Elizabeth."

She clung to him fiercely, she had not heard those words in days. "I love you too, Fitzwilliam." Her face was buried in his chest when she spoke, her words muffled by his shirt, but there was no mistaking the sentiment and he hugged her tightly to himself before pulling away slightly so that he could look her in the eye.

Permission was tacitly asked and received before he lowered his face to hers and kissed her tentatively. Elizabeth placed her arms around his neck and toyed with the curls she found there as their gentle kiss continued. Neither strove to deepen the embrace and it broke off as gently as it had begun, leaving two emotionally battered people smiling contentedly in its wake.

Darcy stroked her lips with this thumb, then ran his hand slowly down her neck, across her shoulder, and down the length of her arm with only a feather-light touch. When his hand reached hers, their fingers intertwined. They moved slowly, as if in a dream, toward the bed together.

After a slow, emotional, physical reunion, they lay, holding each other close. Clocks seemed to slow and the world seemed to shrink until it contained only their bed and the couple it contained in a timeless void.

"I wish we could just stay like this forever." Elizabeth broke the comfortable silence and snuggled more deeply into her husband's chest. He could feel the moisture that leaked from her eyes, and chose not to comment, hoping that she would fail to notice his own tears at that moment. He used his free arm to wipe them away as inconspicuously as possible, and their conversation continued in a positive manner.

"We can, if by 'like this' you mean happy and together. If you mean naked in this bed however, we have. . ." he checked the clock on the nightstand, "three hours before Georgie gets home. Jenny is going to drop her off after the movie."

"I'm glad that she's going out with friends, I remember you telling me that she was a bit of a loner last year."

"Yes, it is amazing what just one afternoon of talking to you did for her, getting involved in the school musical really opened up a whole new world for her."

"You're a good brother, father-figure, whatever."

"I cannot imagine a better sister for Georgie than you."

"Thank you." She rewarded Darcy for the compliment with a playful kiss to his nose. "As much as I am enjoying this, maybe we shouldn't spend all afternoon in bed." Elizabeth sat up and moved slightly away from her husband. "We could look through those wallpaper books together, at least narrow it down."

"We can do that any time besides, I leave tomorrow."

"Oh crap, this past week has been so weird that I totally forgot about your trip to New York. Will you see your aunt?"

"Only if she apologizes. I do not want to discuss her right now; talk about a mood killer." He reached for Elizabeth and she happily acquiesced.

They made love one more time that afternoon before Darcy agreed to dress and select wallpaper for their future bedroom. The couple was sitting together on the sofa looking through sample books when Georgiana arrived home. The teenager was pleased to note that the tension she had felt mounting over the past week and a half seemed to have dissipated and although she could not understand why, she did her best not to disturb the pair.

After dinner that night, Georgiana gave a terrible fake yawn and headed upstairs to her bedroom, leaving the no-longer estranged pair to continue their reconciliation. She did not know what had gone wrong, but could tell that it was on its way to being repaired, and was happy to do whatever she could to further the cause, even if it was a little uncomfortable to think about her brother having sex.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, the teenager seemed intent on swimming laps and sunning herself by the pool all morning, leaving the lovers further time to come to terms with their brief but imminent separation.

Late that afternoon, Darcy had to leave for the airport and was confused as to the absence of his chauffeur. He was pleased to discover that Elizabeth planned to drive him to the airport herself in order to spend the maximum time with him that was possible before his business trip, which he expected to last for several days. He was unsure of how long the negotiations would last and had no firm return date. He smiled as he looked at his wife and thought to himself that he would do whatever was in his power to shorten his trip.

The kiss that he gave Elizabeth at the curb was as passionate as any they had ever shared and when he tore himself away from her, it was with the solemn promise that they would speak every single day during his absence.

Later, as he made his way to his gate, Darcy wondered how he had managed to become so entirely dependent on another person for his emotional well-being.

-o-o-o-o-

That night he called as promised, speaking briefly to Georgiana before asking to talk to his wife alone.

"I'm in our bedroom now, what's up?"

"Is the door closed?"

"Yes, why?" Elizabeth was fairly certain she knew what he was about to start, but decided to let him make the first move.

"What are you wearing?" Darcy asked in his most seductive voice.

"Pajamas." She decided to make him work for it.

"One of your sexy little numbers?"

"No, the red satiny pair I bought for our trip to Boston."

"Take them off."

"But I just put them on."

"Sweetheart, would you please play along?" He was slightly exasperated, but mostly amused at her obvious teasing.

"Okay, fine. What are you wearing?"

"A pair of black boxer briefs, purchased by the most beautiful woman I know."

"Since when does Jane buy you underwear?"

"Elizabeth!"

"Sorry, okay, I'm back in the moment." Elizabeth giggled before lowering her voice to a seductive whisper as she told him to undress. She hoped she would not get a crick in her neck from holding the phone against her ear, but she did not want to turn on the speakerphone. What if his voice carried? She would never get over the embarrassment if Georgiana heard what was happening. The conversation quickly became more intimate

There was mutual panting for a moment before Darcy made an observation. "That was not your first time."

"I never said it was."

"I must admit that I am surprised. Your reticence last month led me to assume that you were inexperienced with this sort of thing."

"Virgins have to keep the urges at bay somehow," she said in her most teasing tone. "Anyway, I just wasn't quite up to using some of those words in front of you yet. It is nice to hear you kick back once in a while though. Linguistically, you remind me of my father sometimes."

"Elizabeth, please refrain from all mention of your father at moments like this."

"Okay. Do you need a shower now?"

"I certainly do at some point before my meeting tomorrow morning,"

"Well, you have a good time with that, don't forget to think of me."

"Perhaps I should not admit this aloud Sweetheart, but I am feeling particularly loquacious at the moment. I have not taken a shower in the last nine months without thinking of you."

Elizabeth laughed and he did his best to internalize the sound for his later remembrance.

"Have a good meeting tomorrow, come back to me soon."

"I love you."

"I love you too, goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	53. Chapter 53

**Alert: If you tried to read the MA-rated version and were confused, that is totally my bad, I uploaded the wrong chapter to my google site, I have fixed it now so that it is actually 92% the same instead of 0% the same. I am sorry for the confusion and I know that now I have to work to get the real Chapter 54 up (on both sites) sooner rather than later.  
**

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-53

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 92% intact._

_[Side note: For any of you who have been reading my very slowly moving other story (_Scottish Air_) exclusively on my google site, I posted another chapter, number seven. I would appreciate feedback about both this story and that one, Thanks :) A warning for anybody who wants to go read the Regency twist - it is rated M for mature and there is no edited version.]_

**Chapter 53**

_Monday 18 June 2001 – Thursday 21 June 2001_

On Monday afternoon, Elizabeth had just returned home from work and was relaxing in the family room with the newspaper when the doorbell rang. She headed toward the sound and met Mrs. Reynolds in the foyer, letting the older woman answer the door.

Standing in the doorway looking impatient was Catherine DeBourgh. The haughty woman stepped across the threshold without an invitation and addressed the housekeeper. "Is my niece at home?"

"No ma'am, she is volunteering at the community center, we expect her home for dinner. Will you be staying for the meal?"

"I think not. You may go." She waved her hand dismissively then turned her gaze onto Elizabeth. "You will join me in the parlor."

Elizabeth followed her husband's aunt into the formal living room where they seated themselves across the coffee table from one another.

"You must know why I am here, Ms. Bennet."

"I'm afraid that I do not. Neither Georgiana nor Darcy are home at the moment. I am sure you are aware that my husband is currently in New York on business."

"Yes, of course. I thought that I would take this opportunity to speak to you alone in the hopes that you might see reason."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean."

The older woman reached into her oversized handbag and removed a folder, which she tossed onto the coffee table. "I require that you sign this."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and opened the folder. Despite not being a lawyer, she quickly identified the object inside and dropped it back onto the table. "Why on Earth would I sign annulment papers?"

"Because your marriage is a farce and you must understand that."

"I understand nothing of the kind."

"The shameful way you tricked him into matrimony; I cannot accept it!"

"It does not matter what you accept, it only matters that we are married according to the state of Illinois and consequently, the federal government."

"If you insist on keeping up this ridiculous charade, I must know whether or not you have signed a nuptial contract. Darcy is a rational man, I know he must have made you do so."

"If you know the answer, why ask me the question?"

"I need to have you confirm the fact."

"If it is actually a fact, doesn't that mean, by definition, that it's been confirmed?"

"It ought to be a fact. By all rights, if I cannot have an annulment in my possession, then I must have a marriage contract of some sort!"

"Oh, well then, if you have it already, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth looked the imposing woman directly in the eye, purposefully taking her words more literally than they were meant.

Catherine DeBourgh hesitated a moment before continuing, averting her eyes only the slightest bit. "Under normal circumstances, I would trust my nephew to make logical decisions but in this case, where you are plying him with alcohol and flaunting your -ahem- person before him, he cannot be counted upon to think rationally. Tell me Ms. Bennet once and for all – have you signed a post-nuptial agreement?"

"I have not."

"Then you will sign this immediately, if you refuse to annul the marriage!" She drew out another folder from her bag, thicker than the first.

"I most certainly will not."

The arrogant woman heaved an impatient sigh. "If you cannot agree to a contract in the very likely case of a divorce, I must insist that you end your marriage in a way that will guarantee my nephew his rightful assets. I did not wish to resort to such tactics but if you sign the annulment papers," she placed a pen atop the first folder, still on the table, "I am willing to compensate you."

"You are in no position to insist upon anything. Get out of my house." Elizabeth's tone was cold as she stood angrily and moved slightly away from the source of her ire.

"Your house! You have no right to claim it as such. My sister put her life into making this a beautiful home for her children."

"And her children's children." Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I may not be a mother yet, but I will be someday and I will raise my children as Darcys in this house where they belong. Where I belong and you do not!" She grasped the older woman's elbow and pulled her toward the front door.

Before she could get very far however, Catherine DeBourgh dropped a small piece of paper atop the folder that lay ignored by the lady of the house. She would not acquiesce however, to the forcible ejection and stood her ground quite firmly once they reached the foyer. It was at that moment that they heard the door to the garage slam shut.

"Hi honey, I'm home!"

Both women recognized the voice. Despite her anger, Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the poorly timed jest while her uninvited guest gasped in horror.

"Your husband is gone for one day and already you entertain another man - his cousin no less - in his own home!" She looked truly appalled.

Richard had rounded the corner by this point and heard his aunt's accusation. "No, unfortunately Lizzy makes me be in charge of my own entertainment while I'm here."

"Not that I owe you any explanation," Elizabeth had let go of Catherine DeBourgh's arm but maintained an aggressive stance near her, "but he's here at Darcy's insistence. It's like the man thinks I can't take care of myself or something."

"I doubt he trusts his impressionable sister to your vulgar influence."

"Alright, that's enough of that." Richard looked from his aunt to his cousin's wife, both trembling in anger. "I would suggest that you come back sometime when Darcy's here, Aunt Catherine, but somehow I doubt that he'll want to see you." He placed his hand on her back and guided her politely but firmly to the door.

She turned to Elizabeth one last time before sweeping regally through the doorway. "Consider my offer, it is the best you shall receive."

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth and Richard stood in silence for a moment after the door had closed. He could see how upset she was and wordlessly pulled her into his arms, stroking her back comfortingly as she seethed.

"If your aunt could see us now, she'd think she had proof of her accusation."

For a moment, Richard was concerned that she had caught him smelling her hair, but then realized that she meant only their embrace, which he was loathe to give up, but did. "What did she mean by her offer?" He stepped back as he asked so that he could look her in the eye.

"I don't know, she came over here ranting about a pre, ah, post-nup or an annulment. I don't know how she thought she was going to coerce me into signing anything. I know she's related to you and everything, but that is one crazy old lady."

He laughed and knew that he could hardly disagree, especially after her display that afternoon. "Should we call Darcy?"

"No, he has a dinner meeting tonight," she checked her watch, "with the time difference, it's already started and he said he probably wouldn't be done until late. I'll just tell him about it when he calls." She threw herself onto the loveseat and glanced at the documents on the coffee table. It was then that she noticed what Catherine DeBourgh had left as an enticement for her signature. "Holy crap, that woman has too much money."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this," she held up a check, "Half a million dollars, and check out what the memo says."

"Financial compensation for marriage annulment."

"She could at least try to pretend it isn't a bribe." Elizabeth angrily ripped the small document in half.

"Wait!" At her startled look Richard explained, "I know you're not going to cash it or anything, but don't rip it any further, Darcy needs to see that, and possibly my father.

Together they placed it on the desk in Darcy's study before moving on to converse about other things. Eventually, Georgiana returned home and the three of them had dinner together and watched a movie before retiring for the night.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth was washing her face when she heard the telephone ring. She only expected one call that late in the evening and rushed to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you alright, Sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I – did Richard call you?"

"No, although I understand he is involved in some way. Aunt Catherine tracked me down at my associate's home and told me what happened at our house this afternoon."

"I don't even want to know what her side of the story sounds like."

"I assure you, even in her version, she comes off as the villain. Why did you not call me immediately? It must have happened hours ago if she had time to travel all the way here, even in her private jet."

"You were already at dinner by that point and I knew you planned to call me later, I just figured that it could wait. I didn't want to distract you from your business."

"My aunt did that perfectly well on her own. Besides, by the time she arrived, we were all just drinking scotch and playing pool anyway. Please, tell me what happened. She was ranting incessantly and kept insisting that you are cheating on me with Richard."

Elizabeth described the encounter, including his cousin's ejection of the uninvited guest. "I was going to be annoyed at you for having him come over here like I need a babysitter or something, but he proved his usefulness this time, I suppose."

"Actually, I did not ask him to stay this week, I know you will take good care of Georgie. He invited himself to our home. He said something about looking out for my womenfolk. I tend to ignore him when starts talking like that."

They spoke for a while longer, during which Darcy apologized repeatedly for his aunt's behavior and offered to cut his trip short. His wife assured him that such a measure would be unnecessary as long as he promised that she would not be required to host Catherine DeBourgh any time in the near future; a condition to which he happily agreed.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, Elizabeth encountered a familiar face outside the Pemberley Building.

"Hey Charles, what are you doing here?"

"I have a favor to ask, are you busy this afternoon?"

"Not really. Georgie doesn't get back from her volunteer program until dinnertime and Richard's not staying with us tonight because he has a date. You could come over and look at carpet samples with me, Darcy keeps avoiding it."

"Actually, I wanted to know if you'd go somewhere with me."

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I was hoping that you'd help me with some important shopping." Bingley looked nervous, and it did not take Elizabeth long to figure out the reason.

"You're going to ask Jane to marry you!" It was not even a question. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him gleefully.

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I'm sure she will, she loves you and wants to make it permanent." Elizabeth did not feel that she was crossing a line or breaking her sister's confidence to say so. Jane had repeatedly intimated that she hoped to spend the rest of her life with Charles Bingley.

The man's face broke out in a wide grin. "Thanks for the confidence, I love her too. I just want us to be as happy as you and Darcy seem to be."

"Well, it's been a bit of an adventure so far, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Do you have a store in mind?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about going to Tiffany's."

"A traditionalist, Jane likes that in a man." Elizabeth winked at her future brother-in-law and took his arm.

-o-o-o-o-

After picking out a sizable diamond solitaire with a platinum band, Bingley offered Elizabeth a ride home.

"How do you know I didn't drive my car today?"

"Darcy told me how stubborn you've been about the whole transportation thing. He said you'd probably take the L every day while he was not here to stop you."

"Well, he was right, and I would appreciate a ride if you'll stay for dinner." When he agreed, Elizabeth called Mrs. Reynolds to warn her of the impending guest.

They arrived within minutes of Georgiana, and the three of them had a pleasant evening together. Bingley brought up his sister for the first time that day and apologized for what he knew was inexcusable behavior the night that she had imposed herself upon the Darcys.

"Look Charles, I can't pretend that I like your sister, but as long as she keeps her mitts off of my husband, I can tolerate her at family functions, especially since we all will be actual family soon."

"Thank you, I hope Darcy feels the same way."

"I'll talk to him, it'll be fine. Just don't make them walk down the aisle together at your wedding, you know he hates causing scenes, but he couldn't stand for that."

After dinner, Elizabeth walked their guest out to his car and wished him luck on his proposal, giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

-o-o-o-o-

An hour later, Darcy called.

"Did Bingley join you for dinner this evening?"

Elizabeth was surprised at his knowledge, but confirmed the information. "If you talked to him tonight, then I'm sure you already know his exciting news."

"I have not spoken with him for a few days, but I can guess that he plans to ask Jane to marry him." Darcy heaved a frustrated sigh.

His wife was annoyed at the sound. "I thought we were over this. I told you that Jane's not just after a job or his money or anything. She really loves him. I don't know why you can't just let them make their own decisions without getting all -"

"Elizabeth, calm down, I am happy for them, more so once Jane accepts his proposal."

"Then what's up with the big old sigh?"

"I told you that I had not spoken to Bingley today. Aren't you curious as to how I came across the information that I have?"

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this?"

"You cannot possibly like it less than I do. My harridan of an aunt came to see me this evening. Fortunately, I was working alone in the hotel's business center this time so she did not embarrass me in front of my colleagues like last night."

"What does she have to do with this whole Charles thing?"

"Apparently she has taken it upon herself to save me from our marriage." Darcy did not comment on his wife's snort of disgust and continued. "She was having you followed."

"Followed? That's so creepy!"

"She hired a private investigator to prove that you are cheating on me. Not half an hour ago, she brought me the evidence that you accepted an expensive gift from another man, whom you then entertained in our home."

"Of course she gave you irrefutable proof of these crimes?"

"I have in my hands a set of photographs in which you hug Bingley on a public sidewalk, leave Tiffany's together with a purchase, drive in one car back to Evanston, then kiss him on the cheek in our driveway."

"I'm sure they're not photoshopped, all those things really happened."

"I cannot believe that she thought these pictures would cause me to divorce you. Even if I did not trust you implicitly, which of course I do," he was quick to add, "there is not a single photograph here that is actual evidence of adultery. Bingley is dating your sister and closest friend, of course he would ask you for help when purchasing an engagement ring. Also, it is perfectly natural for you to hug your friend and future brother-in-law." He sighed deeply again. "Damn it! I really should come home right now."

"No, you need to finish what you're doing now, or you'll just have to leave again soon to tie up all the loose ends. You can't let her beat you - me - us. I know that I'm about to say something that sounds totally lame, but I have to say it because it's true: our love is stronger than her hate. We can prove that by ignoring her no matter how hard she tries to hurt us."

Their conversation turned to less distressing and eventually more intimate things. Despite the upsetting beginning to the call, they both went to sleep that night with smiles on their faces.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday after work, when Elizabeth approached the train station, she saw a familiar car waiting nearby. She nearly ran to the silver Mercedes and jumped into the front seat. Immediately, strong arms wrapped themselves around her as a pair of lips pressed themselves against her own.

"I missed you so much," he whispered between kisses, "I am never going anywhere without you again."

"I don't think that's practical, but I appreciate the thought. Take me home?" She asked suggestively.

Darcy smiled enigmatically, and drove toward their suburban home for some time before he veered off course.

"Where are we going?"

He just smiled and shook his head as he drove. Soon, he pulled the car into the parking lot of a cheap looking motel and turned off the engine.

"What are we doing here?"

"Do you remember something you said to me the other night about spicing things up? Not that things need spicing up," he was quick to clarify," but you suggested trying different locales just for fun."

"I vaguely recall such a conversation." She had made no move to leave the car.

"If you do not want to do this, we can go straight home. We have a perfectly comfortable bed there." Darcy returned the key to the ignition, suddenly unsure of the impulse that had brought him here, but was stopped from turning it by a gentle hand.

"Have you ever brought another woman here?"

"No, I have never before even considered patronizing a - "

"No-tell motel?" Elizabeth finished for him with a smile. She thought for a moment before giving him her answer. "Okay, this seems like fun, just promise me something."

"Of course, anything you want."

"If there's an hourly rate instead of nightly, be sure to take that."

"Elizabeth, I am sure that the cost - "

"It's not about money, it's about tawdriness. We can have all the fun of a cheap little affair without any of the guilt."

"You like having this secret, don't you?" It was the first time that he had suggested as much out loud, although he had suspected it for some time.

"Sometimes, yeah, but I don't think I'll regret coming clean at the end of the summer either." She got out of the car and tossed her suit jacket into the backseat. "Remember to pay cash and not to give them your real name. Ooh – and see if they have a room with a vibrating bed!"

Darcy rolled his eyes and headed to the motel's office. He returned moments later with a key in hand. "They do not, in fact, have hourly rates. I declined to ask about the vibrating bed, but I did give a pseudonym, just for you. I have never before been to a hotel that accepts cash."

"Well, you're new to subterfuge, so I'll take that as a win." She threaded her arm through her husband's and allowed him to lead the way to their room.

-o-o-o-o-

"So, how was your flight?"

Darcy was surprised by her conversational tone as he engaged the chain lock on the door before turning back to face the room. He was shocked by what he saw, however, when she entered his field of vision. In the minute or so that it had taken him to ensure their privacy, she had gotten completely undressed. He divested himself of his own clothing, adding to her pile on the floor, and joined his wife on the cheap polyester comforter that lay atop the queen-sized bed.

After a delightful reunion, they lay together, spent, on the bed for several minutes before rising to dress in their slightly wrinkled clothes.

"I do not know how I will ever go on another business trip again."

"Maybe next time I can go with you."

"I would love that, but I am afraid to get my hopes up in that respect. You start school in the fall and I know that it will be difficult for you to miss classes."

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to figure stuff out one trip at a time. Besides, just think about how much fun coming home is."

They regretfully finished pulling themselves together, after which a slightly embarrassed Darcy returned the key to the front desk and they were on their way home.

-o-o-o-o-

That evening, Elizabeth showed her husband what remained of the check that his aunt had offered in exchange for the end of their marriage. At first, he wanted to call New York so that he could chastise her again for her behavior, but Elizabeth convinced him that the silent treatment might be more effective. He did, however, insist on faxing the small document to Robert Fitzwilliam in the hopes that the older man could talk some sense into his sister.


	54. Chapter 54

**Okay, here is the right chapter in the right place (I hope). I have checked my google site and it is right there too, although it would have to be because I do not have any further chapters ready yet!**

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-54

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 89% intact._

Also, as long as I am making notes here, please review!_  
_

**Chapter 54**

_Saturday 23 June 2001 – Tuesday 26 June 2001_

That weekend, Jane came to visit. The official story for her father, who seemed unable to accept that his daughters were adults, was that she planned to stay at her sister's home. Elizabeth picked her up from the train station in the early afternoon. She informed her elder sister that Bingley had a fancy night planned and that she wished to gift her sister with a new dress for the occasion. The two women spent few hours shopping together before returning to the Darcy home.

Upon spying her brother-in-law standing in kitchen, Jane rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck, dropping her purchases in the process. "Thank you so much!" She cried before kissing him on the cheek.

"Should I be jealous?" Elizabeth entered, carrying the last of their shopping bags.

"I'm sorry, Lizzy. In the fuss over my big date tonight, I forgot to tell you. I got a job in Chicago!"

Elizabeth made an assumption based on her sister's behavior toward Darcy. "You're working at Pemberley?" She did not want to begrudge her sister a job, but things could get even more complicated for herself if that were the case.

"No, Darcy didn't hire me, but he did get me this job."

"You got the job based on your merits, Jane, I merely placed your resume in the right hands." Darcy turned to Elizabeth and explained. "The law firm that handles our corporate business needs a new Human Resources representative starting in September and I recommended Jane for the position."

"September? That's still months away."

"I know," Jane said, "but it's a great job that makes use of my degree and is completely unrelated to Charles's company but in the same city. I'm going to let him know about it this weekend. I'm not sure when I'll quit working for SB Tech exactly, though."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You'll be in the same city as me too; that's great news, even though I know I'm not the reason."

"You're part of the reason, Lizzy. I mean, I love Charles, but I think it's too early in the relationship for me to move here just for him." A concerned look passed across Elizabeth's face as she worried that her sister would not accept Bingley's proposal. Jane misread her expression and leapt to apologize. "I don't mean to say that it was too soon for you and Darcy. I mean it was soon, but clearly you were ready and -"

"Don't worry, Jane," Elizabeth laughed, "you didn't offend me. I don't think I knew I was ready until it happened and I'm too happy with the result to consider regretting it. Now, let's get you ready for this fancy date of yours."

-o-o-o-o-

Despite the fact that nobody really expected Jane to spend the night, she had been assigned a room. She made use of the facilities there to freshen up after her trip and was not quite ready yet when Bingley arrived to take her out on their date that evening.

Darcy opened the door for his friend and ushered the nervous man into the living room to wait. Georgiana was practicing the piano, which added to both the homey feel and the refined atmosphere of the place.

"Bingley, you need to calm down."

"I don't know what you mean." He clasped his hands together to disguise their shaking.

"Jane is an intelligent woman, if she saw you right now, she would know something significant and possibly frightening was about to occur, you are a mess."

Bingley was annoyed enough to snap in response. "Well, we aren't all lucky enough to just wake up married to the woman of our dreams, some of us have to ask and wait!"

"I doubt she will keep you waiting for a response. She is very excited about your date tonight. Elizabeth has been up there for nearly an hour helping her primp. I have no idea what women do that takes so long."

"So, you think she's avoiding me?"

Darcy rolled his eyes. "No, I think she wants to look her best for you. She loves you very much."

"You didn't always think so." The blond man mumbled under his breath.

His friend heard him and responded. "I was wrong then, but I am not wrong now. If you do not trust my judgment on this matter, know that you can trust Elizabeth's, Georgie's, and the Gardiners'."

Bingley took a few deep breaths. "Thanks Darce, that helps."

Their attention was seized by purposeful coughing from the stairway. The two men went into the foyer to watch Jane's entrance while Georgiana continued playing the piano.

The blonde woman descended the stairs slowly, wearing a strapless blue dress the same color as her eyes that hung gracefully on her willowy frame. Her sleek hair had been swept up into a simple but elegant twist at the back of her head. Darcy could not help but think that the style would be better if a few tendrils hung loose, of course it would also be more enticing if those tendrils were curly and several shades darker. He then remembered which Bennet sister was on display and reminded himself that he could play with the sensual curls of the one he preferred later that evening. He caught Elizabeth's eye as she appeared a few steps behind her sister and gave her a smile that held promises.

Bingley's hands started shaking again and the other man clasped a hand on his shoulder to calm him, biting his tongue to prevent himself from making a joke comparing the evening to a high school Prom. Once the ladies reached the bottom of the stairs, Elizabeth offered her lace shawl to Jane for the evening, as she had not come quite prepared for such a fancy date. Bingley took it, grateful to have something to do, and draped it over his lady's bare shoulders, kissing her gently on the cheek as he did so.

"You look beautiful," he finally croaked out.

"Thank you. You're very handsome yourself. Are you ready to go?"

He nodded, but they were stopped from leaving by Elizabeth, who insisted on taking a few pictures before they left for the evening. While she did so, Darcy unobtrusively moved Jane's small suitcase out to Bingley's car. She was always welcome in their home, but he was sure that she would prefer to stay elsewhere that night.

-o-o-o-o-

They were having breakfast on Sunday morning when the telephone rang. Elizabeth answered it with a smile, correctly predicting both the caller and her subject matter.

"Congratulations Jane, we're all very happy for you." She listened for a bit as her sister described the evening in detail, then issued an invitation. "Would the two of you like to come over for dinner tonight? It would be nothing fancy just a family, or family-to-be I suppose, affair."

They set a time for that evening and Elizabeth hung up the telephone with a smile on her face. When she sat back down, she noticed that her sister-in-law had something to say.

"What's up, Georgie?"

"Were you planning for me to be at this dinner thing tonight?"

"Of course, we're just having Jane and Charles over to celebrate their engagement, this is your house too."

"It's just, you guys are all coupled-up and I'll be the fifth wheel."

Elizabeth looked to her husband for his input and he did not disappoint.

"Georgie, you know that we enjoy your company and this is hardly a date for any of us. We would like you to dine with us but if you do wish to go to a friends' house, I suppose that could be arranged."

"Um, no, well, I was thinking more along the lines of inviting someone here, a friend from my volunteer program."

"That sounds alright with me, as long as it is acceptable to the chef. Elizabeth?"

"Sure, we'd love to meet a friend of yours. What's her name?"

"John," the teenager mumbled almost unintelligibly.

Darcy's eyes went wide as Elizabeth stifled a giggle before responding. "I'll set the table for six then. Have him come over around seven o'clock. Does he need a ride?"

"No, he has a car."

This comment got a response from her protective brother. "So he is older than you?" There was no way to mistake his disapproving tone.

"Yeah, like three months," Georgiana rolled her eyes before she saw the serious set of Darcy's jaw and looked at him with worry. "Is that okay?"

He looked very much as if he would like to tell her that it was not okay, but his wife interrupted with assurances to the contrary, so he let it go for the moment.

-o-o-o-o-

When Elizabeth went to the grocery store that afternoon, Darcy spent time with his sister. He attempted to find out all that he could about the young man she had invited to their home, but was largely unsuccessful. He discovered only that the boy was going to be a junior at a local private school in September.

When Elizabeth returned, she pulled Georgiana away for some 'girl talk' as they peeled vegetables together and managed to learn a little more about their guest. She discovered that he was on the high school basketball team and hoped to be a doctor someday. It was evident by the way the teenager spoke that she had more than a bit of a crush despite repeated claims to the contrary.

Dinner was in the oven when Charles and Jane arrived, followed closely by John, whose arrival they all gathered in the foyer to see. If the young man was frightened by the attention, he gave no indication of it. He was polite and pleasant, but kept his attention mainly on Georgiana and they were largely left to themselves by the twenty-something foursome who had already begun to discuss tentative wedding plans for the newly engaged couple.

John did have Darcy's full attention when it came time for him to leave for the evening. Under the watchful eye of her brother, he only shook Georgiana's hand in farewell, but gave it a squeeze that made her blush just before he let go.

Jane and Charles left soon after and Elizabeth had to pull her husband up the stairs to prevent him from asking his sister the myriad of questions that she knew he had about their guest. Once they were alone in their bedroom, she distracted him in their mutual favorite manner and Darcy thought no more about his sister for the rest of the night.

-o-o-o-o-

"Do you think Georgiana is serious about him?" Darcy asked as they got ready for work the next morning.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes quickly before she turned to face him. "I think she's a teenager. They're hardly going to get married at this point."

"I am not worried about them getting married," he huffed, "I am worried about them – doing things."

"Like holding hands or going to the movies?" She was teasing now and he had no patience for it.

"Elizabeth I am very concerned. She is too young to be – seriously involved."

"If you're worried about sex, just say it."

"Please do not use that word."

"What, sex? If you can do it, you should be able to say it." She kept her tone light in an attempt to draw him out and keep him from getting upset.

"I can talk about sex in reference to us, but my little sister," he shuddered slightly, "I have no wish to even allude to her doing such a thing."

"I don't think they're anywhere near that point. If I had to guess, I'd say they haven't even kissed yet. It's probably a moot point anyway, I don't think Georgie's likely to take that step anytime soon."

"You were not here last summer, she did all sorts of things I never thought she would do."

"Yeah, and she learned from the experience. You have to trust her a little."

"Still, I think it would be best to have the talk with her; you know what I mean."

"You want me to teach her about the proverbial birds and bees?"

"Not exactly, she has had the requisite education of course, in school, I just meant on a more personal level. She has never really had a woman around for advice, well there is Mrs. Reynolds, but she is so much older and I was just thinking that it might be nice if you could give her some guidance, draw from your own experience perhaps. . ." He trailed off, unsure how to phrase exactly what it was that he wanted.

Darcy had no need to finish his thought however, his wife knew exactly what it was he was asking of her. "You want me to tell her not to have sex until she's married!"

"That is the ideal situation."

"You didn't wait." He opened his mouth to say something, but Elizabeth spoke again before he had the chance. "Don't you dare say you wish you had because you don't. Sure, you've made some bad decisions; mistakes you later regretted, but would you really have been happier not having sex at all these past eight years? Don't answer that either, I don't want to hear you lie to me, even if you actually believe it."

"Please, Elizabeth, I only ask that you give her some perspective on the subject, tell her that it is a bad idea to -"

"No, absolutely not, I won't preach something I don't believe. I refuse to give her some lecture about the evils of premarital sex just because you're too uptight to deal with the fact that she's growing up. You don't want to end up like my father, all bent out of shape because he's unable to accept that his daughters, some of us at least, are adults."

"She is not an adult. Besides, waiting was the right decision for you." He sounded almost desperate in his entreaty.

"The jury's still out on that." Elizabeth stomped off, leaving him to wonder at the meaning of her words.

-o-o-o-o-

That afternoon, Darcy waited impatiently for his wife to get home from work. She arrived nearly an hour after he did, having done a little shopping on the way.

"Where were you?" His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he waited for her explanation.

"What are you, my keeper? I stopped at the yarn store, it's no big deal."

"I was worried."

"It's still light out."

"What did you get?" Some of the edge was gone from his voice and Elizabeth decided to humor him for the time being.

She pulled a skein of light blue wool out of her shopping bag. "There's going to be a new baby in your family – our family soon, and I thought it would be nice to make something for him, like I did for the Gardiners' addition-to-be."

He stared at her for a moment before stepping forward and enveloping her in his arms. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I was just so worried about my sister and upset over our argument this morning. I did not mean to snap at you."

"I forgive you." Her voice was muffled by his chest.

"Thank you for thinking of my family as yours. That means a lot to me."

"We are one big family now, all of us. Speaking of which, where's Georgie?"

Darcy sighed deeply and released her from his grasp. "She called, John is taking her out on a date. They are going to 'grab dinner and see a movie' and she did not tell me when she would be home." He was clearly annoyed at this omission.

"Does she have a curfew?"

"Yes, eleven o'clock since it is not a school night, but she did not -"

"I know, but let's give her until eleven before we get all crazy with worry, okay?" Elizabeth stroked her husband's arm comfortingly. "At least she called to let you know where she was going. Tell you what: when I think it's necessary, I will have a talk with Georgie about making good decisions regarding guys and relationships. I can't promise that I will lecture about the evils of sex, but I will try to instill in her what I consider to be good values."

He thanked Elizabeth, he knew that was the best that she would do, and did not let go of her until Mrs. Reynolds called them for dinner.

-o-o-o-o-

Georgiana arrived home shortly after ten o'clock that night. When Darcy heard a car pull up in the driveway, there was nothing Elizabeth could do to stop him from watching out his study window as his sister's beau walked her to the porch, then kissed her before leaving. Although there was nothing particularly indecent about the kiss, it was no chaste peck either and he began to worry all over again about what his baby sister might be getting herself into with this relationship.

He managed to control himself when she came to bid him goodnight, and only politely inquired how her evening had been. Georgiana seemed to be happy, although she was not particularly forthcoming with details, and told him that John had invited her to go bowling on Wednesday, so they should not expect her home for dinner then either. Before he could state any objections to the plan, she was skipping off to her room, clearly pleased with herself.

Later that night, he found himself in the mood to do nothing but sulk, despite the negligée his wife wore to bed. Fortunately Elizabeth had forgiven him his earlier petulance and spoke reassuringly about his sister's relationship, reminding him of how good she had been of late, and that the young man was not only Georgiana's age, but was also involved in a voluntary tutoring program and attending a prep school. Clearly, he and Wickham were not of the same ilk. Eventually, she made her point, and Darcy managed to calm down enough to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-

When the alarm went off the next morning, Darcy silenced it, then looked about and seemed to notice Elizabeth's provocative attire for the first time.

"Were you wearing this last night?"

"I was, but you were thinking about your sister too much to notice me."

He placed a finger across her lips to prevent any more mention of Georgiana. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" He asked before lowering his lips to her collarbone.

"Mmm, not for at least thirty-six hours. You might have to remind me."

He happily showed his appreciation for her enticing gown. Although they were briefly interrupted by the blaring of the snooze alarm, they managed to make it to the shower with enough time to ready themselves for the day, as long as they did it separately. They agreed that it was the best way to ready themselves for the day without the kind of delay that would make them both late for work.

They parted that morning in the garage with their usual kiss and wishes for a good day at Pemberley.


	55. Chapter 55

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-55

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is almost 99% intact._

**Chapter 55**

_Tuesday 3 July 2001 – Saturday 7 July 2001 _

The next week was largely uneventful, their chosen wallpaper and carpet were installed in the master bedroom. Darcy feared for his blood pressure every time Georgiana went out on a date, which was happening with increasing regularity. Elizabeth knew that the time for her promised talk was fast approaching.

Before that, however, they had something that would me even more of a trial to deal with; hosting the Bennets. Against his original inclination, Darcy had encouraged his wife to invite her family to spend the July fourth holiday with them in Chicago. Everyone had an extra long weekend, and he knew his mother-in-law was itching to see her daughter's new home. He was glad that she was arriving too late to influence the décor of their bedroom in any way. It would have been nice if it were finished, he thought. He would appreciate sleeping on the third floor when Elizabeth's sisters began wandering about the second, but their new furniture would not be delivered for another two weeks, and he could not imagine spending several nights in a sleeping bag, even to get extra distance between himself and the likes of Lydia.

Elizabeth had made time for a serious discussion with her sister-in-law that week. She wanted to make sure that the shy girl would not be too taken aback by not only Lydia's personality, but also any mention she might make of Wickham whom she still claimed to love despite the fact that he was presently wanted for both kidnapping and statutory rape.

When the Bennet minivan pulled into their driveway early on Tuesday evening, Elizabeth was already nervous. Her husband squeezed her hand reassuringly and opened the door to the spare garage stall to allow their entrance. Most of the family headed through the garage to enter the house, but Mrs. Bennet, fond of pomp whenever possible, insisted that they enter instead through the french doors she had seen in the front. Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth promised to meet them there as Darcy and Goodrich offered to take the luggage inside. Dr. Bennet looked ready to help them, but was pulled by his arm around to the front of the house by his wife.

Elizabeth waited in the foyer until her mother rang the doorbell, then opened one front door, while Mrs. Reynolds opened the other. Most days only one door was used, but she knew the spectacle would be appreciated by this particular audience. Although she had apologized to Mrs. Reynolds in advance for her mother's forthcoming behavior, Elizabeth still cringed when the crass woman inquired why a butler was not there to welcome them, then eyed the housekeeper critically.

"Mom, I told you, we don't have a butler, this isn't the nineteenth century. Mrs. Reynolds, here, is the housekeeper, and Mr. Goodrich, whom you met in the garage is the gardener and driver."

"You don't have a maid? Mrs. Bennet managed to sound quite appalled although she had never had a servant in her life. "Don't tell me you clean the house yourself!" She glared at Elizabeth in an accusing manner, it would be just like her headstrong second daughter to do such a thing when her husband had plenty of money to pay other people to do it.

"No, Mom," Elizabeth sighed, "a service comes once a week to do the cleaning." She rolled her eyes for the benefit of Mrs. Reynolds then offered her family a tour before dinner. Because she knew her mother would enjoy it, she suggested taking the elevator to the top floor, then working their way down. Since it was a small elevator, it took two trips to get them all upstairs before they could start.

The first room Elizabeth showed her family was her new office, which she had yet to use, followed by the sun room. Dr. Bennet was amazed at the beauty of the rich wood paneling and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lined the former. Kitty and Lydia immediately began fighting over who got first dibs Elizabeth's new computer, purchased just that week, to check their e-mail and chat with friends. When it was evident that neither of her parents would step in to break up the fight, even as they moved to the next room, Elizabeth inquired whether Lydia was still grounded.

"No." Lydia replied at the same time her father said "yes."

"Okay then, it sounds to me like Kitty should get dibs then, especially because Lydia probably isn't even supposed to be online for a while."

"Whatever," the younger girl huffed.

"Why don't we finish the tour before anyone does anything on the computer?" At her family's acquiescence, Elizabeth went on. "This is the master bedroom, we're redecorating, but it's not quite done yet, so we're still sleeping downstairs." She stole a glance at her father and noticed the cringe on his face as she spoke. "This is the nursery, it won't be used for a while yet." She spoke deliberately, as if tying to reassure the man that he would not be a grandfather any time soon.

"Oh Lizzy, you have to have babies while you're still young!" Mrs. Bennet insisted loudly.

"For the love of God, Mother, I'm only twenty-one, I have tons of time for that." Elizabeth rolled her eyes for what she felt was the hundredth time that evening alone. She led the group to the stairs and they descended one flight.

"That's our room right now," she gestured toward a closed door, not feeling the need to open the door to their private sanctuary and nobody asked. She did open the door to the next bedroom, which shared a bathroom with theirs. She had decided to assign it to the younger sister least likely to intrude upon their privacy. "This is where Mary will be staying." There was a small suitcase already standing next to the dresser, a testament to Goodrich's efficiency. "The bathroom is through there." The next bedroom shared a bathroom with Georgiana's room and had been assigned to Kitty. The last room on the floor was, of course, for Lydia, who was elated to have a king size bed and a bathroom all to herself. Both of these bedrooms held larger suitcases than Elizabeth deemed really necessary for a four night stay.

When the large group made it to the main floor, Georgiana greeted them effusively, apologizing for being busy with her volunteer program when they had arrived, and joined the tour for the end. Elizabeth showed them each room, including the first floor bedroom that had been given to her parents in deference to both Dr. Bennet's knee trouble and, unspoken, the distance to her own shared room.

The basement was last on the tour. The girls were excited more by the entertainment center than the game room, and more excited still about the swimming pool that was accessible from the walk-out basement. Jane had been assigned the basement bedroom for two reasons. She would ignore Richard's resident belongings without the nosiness which afflicted some of her younger sisters and her absence would more easily go unnoticed, should she decide instead to spend a night at the home of her fiancé. The more time that Elizabeth spent away from her parents' home, the more she thought it ridiculous that her twenty-three year-old sister had to sneak around to sleep with the man she planned to marry. The Bennets were not even particularly religious or conservative, it was just that their father refused to admit that such a thing as sex even existed where his daughters were concerned. It was amazing that she had never noticed this particular shortfall until the past few months. Although, she supposed, it had not really come up as a part of her life until recently.

When they all returned to the first floor, they found the table set and ready for dinner. Bingley had arrived to join them, and Jane kissed him in welcome under her father's disapproving gaze.

-o-o-o-o-

Dinner was spent in mostly topical conversation. Darcy showed his father-in-law his study, with its own floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the man was suitably distracted for the rest of the evening. Mary and Georgiana bonded over the piano and Kitty and Lydia bothered no one as they availed themselves of the large television in the basement, having momentarily forgotten to fight over computer access, distracted by premium channels. To Elizabeth's delight and guilt, Mrs. Bennet's attention was held by her eldest daughter and her fiancé in fervent discussion of the upcoming wedding, which had been set for the following spring.

"Poor Jane," she whispered to her husband after he joined her on the living room's loveseat, "I'm starting to be really glad that we eloped."

He smiled in response and kissed the crown of her head. "I have never been anything but glad of that fact."

Huddled together, they did their best to ignore the effusions coming from the other side of the room as the mother of the bride-to-be thought of idea after idea for Jane's forthcoming nuptials. At one point, Elizabeth did have to get up in order to bring a notepad and pen, but then she settled back in with her husband to watch what she would later describe as "carnage" given the horrified look on Charles's face at most of Mrs. Bennet's ideas.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually, Bingley left, the Bennet family was all in their assigned bedrooms, and the house was quiet. Darcy lay in bed waiting for Elizabeth to emerge from the bathroom. He was unsure, given her behavior when they had visited her family home, whether she would be amenable to intimacy with this particular crowd under their roof, and chose to take his cue from her attire. He was pleased to see her enter the room wearing a short blue nightgown. It was not the sexiest thing that she owned, but it certainly gave him the signal he desired.

When she joined him in bed, they kissed and made love as if it were any other night, although perhaps a bit more quietly than usual, given their houseful of guests.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day was spent in classic Fourth of July fashion. Both Mrs. Reynolds and Goodrich had been given the holiday off, but the indispensable housekeeper had prepared in advance several side dishes and seasoned meat patties that only needed grilling in order to make lunch complete. The Gardiners joined them in the morning; Bingley returned, still without his sisters, and they all spent nearly the entire sunny day by the pool. If Darcy was appalled by the risqué nature of the bikinis worn by his two youngest sisters-in-law, he hid it well. He was in fact, a bit disturbed, but not at all surprised. He did find himself a trifle disappointed that their second-eldest sister wore such a conservative one-piece suit and whispered as much into her ear as they frolicked in the water.

Everyone except Elizabeth was at least sightly surprised to see Darcy acting so frivolously. Georgiana had seen her brother loosen up little by little as Elizabeth had become more firmly entrenched in their lives, but she had never seen him quite so child-like as he was that day, playing with the Gardiner boys and chasing Elizabeth about the pool, especially in front of other people. Mrs. Gardiner was content to remain in her sundress, napping under an umbrella, certain that her children were well looked after by not only their father, but nearly every one of their favorite babysitters as well.

Richard stopped by around noon, but was wary about joining them all in the pool given the way that the two youngest Bennets were eying him. Eventually, the July sun got to him and he stripped to his swim trunks and dove in, receiving appreciative once-overs from Lydia and Kitty as well as a chastising look that he not did feel he deserved from their father.

When the sun reached its zenith, they decided it was time to eat. Elizabeth wrapped a towel around her waist and began preparing the grill. Darcy pulled on a tee shirt and joined her, leaning over and whispering in her ear as they arranged the meat to be cooked. Dr. Bennet eyed them critically. He was predisposed to dislike the man who had taken away his favorite daughter, but even in his prejudiced state, he could not help but notice the genuine happiness in her countenance as she laughed at some private joke they shared. He heaved a sigh of resignation and looked around to see what his other daughters were doing.

Kitty was showing off her diving skills, or rather, trying to. Her first dive was moderately impressive, but her second ended in a loud and painful-looking belly flop. Her attention had been on her intended audience rather than the pool. Said audience was not paying attention to her however, he was instead concentrating on how best to escape from the other teenager who seemed determined to flirt with him. Beer in hand, he backed slowly away from Lydia, whose barely covered breasts were aimed directly at him.

Eventually, Richard managed to get the attention of Bingley, who pointed out the situation to Jane, mostly in amusement. Jane was not amused and strode over to break up the one-sided conversation. When she dragged Lydia away by the arm, Richard sought solace in the company of Mary, who was happy to discuss with him the latest feminist literature that she had read when he politely inquired as to her major.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Jeez, Jane, I don't know you ever used words like that."

"Lydia, it's not funny. What do you think you're doing with Richard?"

"I'm just having a little fun."

"You know he's nearly twice your age and clearly not interested."

"I was making him interested."

"You were making him uncomfortable."

"George likes me and he's almost the same age."

"George Wickham is wanted by the law for statutory rape and kidnapping!"

"Yeah, and that's why I can't see him anymore; because everyone overreacted. Nobody believes in our love!" She stomped to the edge of the pool and jumped in, doing her best to splash her eldest sister in the process. She was unsuccessful, Jane was already on her way to speak with their father, who sat in a lounge chair pretending to read a book.

A short conversation later, Jane returned to Bingley's side, consoled by the promise that her father would look into correcting Lydia's behavior.

-o-o-o-o-

Not long after lunch, Richard decided to head home, and no argument his cousins made could stop him from going. Although Elizabeth had not witnessed everything that had happened, she was sure that her youngest sisters had something to do with his absence, and vowed to discuss the situation with her father later.

It was not until after the fireworks show that evening that she managed to get Dr. Bennet alone, but he introduced a different topic of conversation.

"I can see that you are happy."

"I am, I know that this whole marriage thing took you by surprise. It took me by surprise too, in all honesty, but that doesn't mean that I don't want it. I really love Darcy, and I'd like you to be happy for us."

"I am sorry if it seemed as though I did not want you to be happy, of course I wish that for you, I wish it for all my girls. I suppose that it is just difficult for me to see you growing up and leaving me. Can you forgive my boorish behavior?"

"Of course Daddy, I love you."

"I love you too, Lizzy." She threw herself into his arms and let her father hold her for some time.

They were having such a pleasant moment together, that Elizabeth could not bear to ruin it with the mention of Lydia and her inappropriate actions.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday, Elizabeth went out shopping with all the female members of her family. She was fervently hoping that Georgiana would be more of an influence on Kitty and Lydia than the other way around.

Despite Jane's protestations that it was far too early to do so, they spent several hours at bridal shops looking for both a wedding dress and bridesmaids' dresses. Georgiana manage to get caught up in the excitement of it all, and had far more opinions that might be expected from someone who would not even be wearing one of the gowns. Elizabeth gave some thought to the vow renewal that she and Darcy had planned. Since their first anniversary would be only a few weeks after the Bingley wedding, she might be able to take advantage of her mother's distraction to plan it herself. She felt a bit guilty for foisting the woman off on Jane, but she reassured herself that her serene eldest sister would have to put up with their mother regardless and was better equipped to handle it anyway.

By the time that they left the bridal store, all the teenage girls wanted to shop for themselves, although to Elizabeth's relief, despite a day spent in close quarters with the youngest Bennets, Georgiana was still undemanding when it came to voicing her desires. Eventually all three of them got new purses, and they went home happy.

-o-o-o-o-

When they returned to the Darcy home, the men were already there, having returned earlier from an afternoon of golf. Richard had joined them on the course but, unsurprisingly, had declined to stay for dinner. Elizabeth was pleased to see how well her father appeared to be getting along with both her husband and future brother-in-law.

Mrs. Bennet drove the conversation that evening with wedding talk. The ceremony and reception would be held in Ann Arbor and she was firmly at the helm.

As Mrs. Reynolds had the whole holiday weekend off and nobody had been home long enough to cook a large meal, they decided to order pizza that night. When Darcy and Bingley hastily volunteered to go pick it up, Elizabeth was unsurprised at their need for a break and did not even try to suggest delivery.

None of the upstairs guests noticed that Charles Bingley went to the basement instead of leaving after dinner that night, and if the hosts were aware of it, they chose to remain silent.

-o-o-o-o-

Friday was much like the day before, with the genders separating to go about their respective activities as was their wont. Elizabeth decided to cook that evening, and would have been happy to do it if her mother had not volunteered to help.

Frances Bennet's help in this case, might be better classified as interference. She looked into every cupboard and inquired repeatedly about their china pattern. Her put upon daughter only repeated that they were perfectly happy using the dishes that had been passed down to them from the generation before for the time being, although she admitted that someday, they might replace the aging set with something they selected as a couple.

Elizabeth clenched her fists in annoyance when her mother complained that her bed had not been made any of they days they had been there.

"This is not a hotel, Mother. If we came to visit you, we would make our own bed."

"Yes, of course, but we don't have a fancy house full of servants." Mrs. Bennet sounded mildly resentful.

"Our house is not full of servants! As I have told you before, we have one housekeeper and one gardener-slash-driver. They both have the holiday weekend off, Darcy agreed to that long before he knew you were coming, before he even expected me to be here, actually. Anyway, even if he had known, people like to spend holidays with their families and he is a good boss, so he probably would have given them the time off regardless." She took a deep breath to calm herself, then changed the subject to Jane's proposed wedding venue with false cheerfulness.

-o-o-o-o-

Although she had enjoyed seeing her family, Elizabeth was not sorry to see them leave after lunch on Saturday. It had been a very long few days and she was looking forward to getting back to her routine which, despite the duplicity required of her at work, was far less stressful than seeing her family, not matter how much she loved them.


	56. Chapter 56

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-56

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 86% intact._

**Chapter 56**

_Monday 16 July 2001 – Thursday 19 July 2001_

Georgiana was beginning to get more serious with John, both her brother and her sister-in-law could see it. They went out a few times during the week, and spoke on the phone nearly every evening. Darcy was concerned about the speed at which their relationship seemed to be progressing, but Elizabeth tried to calm him down with the reassurance that she was just a teenage girl. This information did not help, it only reminded Darcy that the boy in question was also a teenager and therefore full of ready to erupt hormones.

He tried to distract his sister from the relationship by encouraging her to use her learner's permit to practice driving, but she did not seem to have much interest in the subject, and was excessively wary of hurting either of her brother's cars. Consequently, Darcy decided that she needed her own vehicle with which she was comfortable. Used to luxury, Georgiana was more easily convinced than Elizabeth to spend money, and rode home from the dealer in a brand new beige Lexus ES. Elizabeth had gone along in order to drive the car home and had to bite her lip in order to force herself not to voice her disapproval the entire time. She had attempted to dissuade her husband from the purchase to no avail. He insisted, like he had with her car, that it was merely a necessity. Elizabeth knew that the teenager's blossoming relationship was more than just a contributing factor to the timing of such a purchase, Darcy was trying to occupy her attention with something other than her hormones.

"If this was about learning to drive, you would've bought it either right after she got her permit or as a reward for getting her license." Elizabeth had argued.

"Her birthday is next month."

"Then buy her the car next month and call it a birthday present. If you're going to buy it now, call it what it is, an excessively extravagant attempt at distraction."

"Perhaps it is a distraction. You know, another excellent distraction would be that, ah, talk about consequences."

"I will have that conversation with her this week, but I don't know what you think I'm going to say. If you expect me to do nothing but preach about the evils of sex, you're going to be disappointed."

"You will not encourage it though, right?" Despite the implicit trust he had in his wife, Darcy had sounded pleading.

She had huffed in annoyance at him, but eventually, had agreed to accompany them to the car dealership in order to get the new vehicle home since its future driver could not do so alone.

-o-o-o-o-

Georgiana agreed to a driving lesson early Tuesday evening, and Elizabeth chose a park not too far from their home as a destination. The teenager drove the few miles nervously but without incident. Once they arrived, they exited the car and Elizabeth suggested a short walk.

"So, you've been seeing a lot of John lately."

"Yeah," the teenager blushed lightly, "he's really sweet and cute."

"I haven't had much time to get to know him, but he seems like a nice young man."

"Nice young man," Georgiana let out a sigh of annoyance, "that's like something my grandma would say."

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm looking at this relationship like someone who's responsible for you. Well, someone married to the actual responsible party, I suppose. What I really mean is that I'm supposed to be a grownup here and it's weird."

"That's okay. You do think he's cute though, right?"

"He certainly is, but he's not quite my type. I like my men taller and darker."

"Taller, ha, you're shorter than I am!"

"I guess that's true, you have those Darcy genes. Still, I am the shortest of my sisters. I've had to buy a couple of pairs of pumps since I started dating your brother."

Georgiana smiled. "I think he's fond enough of you that he doesn't mind leaning over a bit."

They laughed together for a moment before Elizabeth stopped to steel herself to broach the difficult issue.

"I know this may sound weird; I haven't been a part of your life that long, but I feel like we've gotten close in the last couple of months, and I want you to know I'm here for you if you want to talk about anything."

"Thanks Lizzy, but I think I'm good for now."

"There is something about which I want to talk to you. Well, I guess I don't really want to, but I feel like I should."

"Uh oh, this sounds ominous."

"It's not ominous exactly, just a little uncomfortable. Your mother's not around anymore and I think we should talk about sex."

Georgiana turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears. "No we don't, I'm not doing that now, so we don't have to talk about it!" She quickened her pace as if she could leave the discomfort behind her.

"Georgie, wait. I don't want to lecture you, I just want to have a frank discussion so that you know you can come to me with any questions you might have."

"Yeah, ask you questions, got it." She tried to walk even faster, but Elizabeth grabbed her arm, holding her gently but firmly by the elbow.

"I know it's weird, but we can get it over with quickly. I'm sure you're familiar with the, um, science," at the girl's tiny nod, she continued, "so we only have to talk about emotional stuff, things you don't learn in school. Look, I don't have a ton of experience on the topic -"

Georgiana gave a snort of disbelief, then covered her mouth quickly and pretended nothing had occurred.

"There are a lot of negative consequences that can come about from sex, I'm not going to list them all, I'm sure you were taught in health class about STDs and teen pregnancy and all that. Of course if you do decide to do it, you need to be safe, but nothing's a hundred percent effective."

"Yay abstinence, the only safe sex is no sex, yeah, I've heard it all already." She sounded more sullen than Elizabeth had ever heard before from her and choked a bit on the uncomfortable word.

"I'm not telling you not to ever have sex, or even that you have to wait until you're married. I'm just saying you have to weigh the benefits and consequences, like any other major decision. Condoms are only ninety-something percent effective. If you're going to have sex you have to be able to deal with whatever might happen if you turn out to be one of the other percents."

"So, you're saying don't sleep with anybody until I'm ready to be a mother?" Georgiana raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I know for a fact that you do stuff like that on a regular basis, but you told your family that you don't want a little one anytime soon."

"Okay, we can talk about me if you want, if that makes you more comfortable. You're right, I don't plan to have kids before I get my MBA and maybe work for a few years, but I'm in a situation where I wouldn't freak out if something happened, I can deal with the consequences. Anyway, I'm not saying you have to have a baby, I'm just saying you have to be able to handle making a difficult choice one way or another if you did get pregnant; or if you, the proverbial you of course, got an STD. That is something about which I feel confident because I am in a long-term monogamous relationship in which we have both been tested, but I know that's not always the case, especially when you're young."

"You're just trying to scare me into staying a virgin forever."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried again. "I'm not trying to scare you, I just think you need to see the big picture. Sex means different things to different people. Some people can only be happy in a traditional relationship like I have, others want variety without strings. I won't lie to you, I think my way's better than the latter, but ultimately, I can't tell you how to feel or what taking that step means to you. I guess you just have to consider whether you think of it as a physical expression of an emotional connection or just something that makes you feel pleasure." Neither young woman was attempting to look at the other, both sets of eyes were firmly set on the path ahead of them. "I don't really know from experience, but I'm told that it's different, better, when you love someone."

For the first time in their conversation, Georgiana was genuinely curious about what her sister-in-law had to say. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Okay, again, remember that I'm not trying to lecture you. I'm not saying that the choice I made was the right one for everyone, but I do think it was right for me. This isn't about pushing you one way or the other, but I want you to be able to make informed decisions which will turn out to be right for you. I don't know about it being different, because I have only had sex when I have been in love, and I've only ever loved Fitzwilliam."

"That is so romantic."

"He certainly thinks so." They shared an awkward laugh. "Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't physically express your feelings at all, but if you want my opinion, and I know you don't, but I'll give it to you anyway: you should wait until you're at least in college to actually have sex. You'll be more confident about yourself and your body then."

"What do you mean – never mind."

"You can ask me anything."

"No, it's too weird."

"Really Georgie, I want you to feel comfortable asking me for advice or information, about this topic or others. I want to help you the best that I can."

"Okay, you said something about other ways to express feelings, what did you mean by that?"

"There are things you can do that either put you at less risk or no risk at all that can still make you feel . . . good. Like touching each other and saying stuff." Elizabeth had nearly reached her quota of embarrassing conversation as well.

They had walked nearly around the whole path and the car was in sight. Thoroughly embarrassed now, Georgiana changed the topic of conversation and they discussed innocuous movies until they reached the parking lot, where Elizabeth drove home as the teenager digested all of the new information she had gleaned that day.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, they were having breakfast when the telephone rang. On the other end was Robert Fitzwilliam II with the news that he had become a grandfather a few hours before. He was insistent that they come to Boston as soon as possible to meet the new addition, Kevin. Darcy called an airline immediately after hanging up with his uncle and made arrangements for them to leave on Friday after work. Georgiana was still asleep, and Darcy left a note for her before they left for the day.

That evening, she went out on a date and returned home petulant. "I can't believe you're making me go out of town this weekend without even asking!"

"We have a new baby cousin, I assumed you would want to meet him."

"He'll still be my cousin, or cousin once removed or whatever, next weekend and Jenny won't be having a party then."

"What is this about a party?"

"Jenny, you remember her from the musical, is having a party this weekend and I was going to take John and introduce him to all my friends from my school, but instead you're making me go to this stupid family thing and you didn't even consult me first!" She stomped out of the room and up the stairs before Darcy could admonish her for her behavior.

He turned to Elizabeth incredulously. "She loves babies. She has been looking forward to this for months."

"I think she's upset about something else right now, let me try to talk to her."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth sighed and followed her sister-in-law up the stairs.

-o-o-o-o-

When she approached Georgiana's room, Elizabeth could hear muffled sobs. She knocked, then waited for a reply twice before going in uninvited.

"I didn't say you could come in."

"You didn't say I couldn't either. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"This is all your fault, you made me listen to all that stuff yesterday about -" she lowered her voice momentarily, "sex and then I couldn't think about anything else tonight and when John kissed me, he told me I was being weird!"

"He actually said that?"

"Well not exactly, he said something was different and he asked what was wrong, but I couldn't tell him because it's all crazy and we're not anywhere near doing that yet, but all I can think about are excuses to put him off because you were right that I'm not ready and now it's driving me nuts!" She sobbed louder, but allowed Elizabeth to hold her in a comforting embrace. "Then I yelled at him to take me home and that I can't see him this weekend. Now he's going to break up with me."

"Over one little fight? If he does, then he isn't worth holding onto."

"Why do people always say stuff like that? It's not helpful!"

"Okay, I'm sorry Georgie. I shouldn't have said all of that to you, it was too much too soon, but nobody ever had much of a talk with me and I guess I just wanted to give you the emotional guidance that I felt I was missing. Aren't you excited to meet your new baby cousin though?"

"I am, I should apologize to William, I'm glad we're going, I just wish that I could go to the party too."

"Well, what if you had a party of your own in a couple of weeks, maybe for your birthday? Then you could invite both your school friends and your tutoring group."

"Really, would my brother be okay with that?"

"I'll convince him, it will be fine."

"Thanks, Lizzy." She wiped her red-rimmed eyes, tears were no longer falling. "What do you think I should do about John?"

"I think you should get a good night's sleep tonight, then call him tomorrow. Apologize for yelling at him and tell him where you'll be this weekend. If he asks what was wrong, just say you had a lot on your mind. Give him a chance to accept you for what you are – a teenage girl. Having been one fairly recently, I can't say that you're particularly abnormal."

"I'm glad you live here with us, you're a good sister."

"Thanks, you are too." She gave the younger girl one last hug, then they headed down the stairs together so that Darcy could see that his sister was alright. He wisely did not mention the still distressed appearance of her face as they spent the rest of the evening together.

-o-o-o-o-

When Darcy got home on Thursday afternoon, he saw a large truck in the driveway. He suspected its purpose, and went immediately to the master bedroom where he saw his wife directing burly men in lifting belts to move furniture about the room.

"You are enjoying this too much." He failed to hide his smile at her evident enthusiasm.

"Oh, you're home, excellent! You can help me make sure this looks right." she kissed him on the cheek and drew his attention to the furniture arrangement.

Mrs. Reynolds stood nearby, observing the couple in amusement as Elizabeth bubbled with excitement and Darcy indulged her whimsy. She had known her employer long enough to realize that he did not truly care what the room looked like as long as it was comfortable and suitably sedate. His wife had done an excellent job of incorporating her own more creative tastes into the décor without sacrificing the refined look he preferred. When the deliverymen had arrived, she had directed them to arrange the furniture according to the Darcys' drawn out plan. Since arriving home thirty minutes before, Elizabeth had only minimally tweaked the layout and her husband was quick to agree to the new arrangement. Darcy tipped the men generously and they were soon on their way.

"Thank you for working today Mrs. Reynolds, we appreciate you staying late on your evening off to accept the delivery."

"It's no problem, I'm still having dinner at Cindy's tonight, and I'll have the rest of the weekend to myself to make up for it." She turned to Elizabeth. "Mrs. Darcy, would you like me to make the bed?"

"No thanks, we've kept you long enough, now go start enjoying your weekend."

Mrs. Reynolds closed the door behind her when she left.

Elizabeth turned to face her husband and noticed that he was watching her intently. "Yes?" She had an inkling of his thoughts.

"Shall we try out the bed?" He began to stalk toward her.

She laughed and, being closer to the piece of furniture in question, hopped onto the bare mattress and bounced a few times. "It seems fine to me. Dinner?"

The questioning word was barely out of her mouth when Darcy pounced, pinning her to the soft surface and smiling wolfishly. "It is not dinnertime yet, I am sure we can find something to do in the interim, Lizzy, my love."

Elizabeth laughed again and pushed him off her. "Okay, but first you have to help me make the bed."

"You told Mrs. Reynolds that was unnecessary."

"Yeah, unnecessary for her to stay even longer than she already had, we can handle it." Elizabeth had escaped from the bed entirely and was rooting about in the closet for the new sheets that he had helped her select. "Come on, you'll like these, they have a 1500 thread count, it'll be like sleeping on a kitten."

A naughty thought entered his mind at her comment, but he squelched the comment before it erupted and threatened the romantic mood that he desired to set. Instead, he sighed and stood up, ready to help his wife with her perfectly reasonable request.

It took longer than Darcy had expected to ready the bed for occupancy. They had to dress it with a mattress pad before anything else, and it took the two of them several minutes to get the sheets smoothly tucked in, although some of that time was taken up by kissing. He wondered how Mrs. Reynolds made beds of this size by herself every week. Eventually, the sheets were on straight and he looked at his wife expectantly.

She was not ready to immediately indulge him. "Well, now it would be a shame to mess up all our hard work." He gaped at her in disbelief, her tone of voice suggested she was not entirely kidding. "We could break in the couch instead." She took hold of the tie he had loosened, but still wore around his neck and began leading him to their sitting area toward the front of the house. Darcy went along for a few moments before he grabbed her around the waist and, ignoring her shriek, threw her onto the freshly made bed.

"Well, now that it's been wrinkled, I see no problem in using it."

Before joining her on the bed, he took a detour to the entertainment center, selecting a CD and placing it in the new stereo system. Soon, the romantic strains of the Romeo & Juliet Ballet Suite* filled the room.

"What, no Barry White?"

He dismissed the question with a snort and stalked toward her.

They made love slowly, then lay side by side as a musical crescendo faded away.

"I love you, Fitzwilliam."

"I love you too, Elizabeth, so much more than I ever though possible."

"Mmm, I like this music." She snuggled close to him, wrapping one leg on top of his as was her wont. "I don't think the story's right for us though, they don't get a happily ever after."

"We will have one Lizzy, my love; I promise."

"Oh Fitzwilliam, don't be silly. We're already there."

They lay together, basking in afterglow until their bodies protested that it was time for dinner.

_-x-x-x-x-_

"Romeo & Juliet" (in addition to being a Shakespeare play) is a ballet written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1935.


	57. Chapter 57

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-57

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is over 98% intact._

**Chapter 57**

_Friday 20 July 2001 – Saturday 28 July 2001_

On Friday, Elizabeth prayed nobody noticed her climbing into the Town Car with her boss after work. It was a tight fit across the back because Richard had already claimed the front seat, but it was still easier than taking two cars.

As the airplane landed in Boston, it occurred to Elizabeth that she might never have to fly coach again and she felt a bit guilty about how happy that made her. They were picked up by a stretch limousine, which had plenty of space to spread out, and driven to the Fitzwilliam home in style.

"I thought we would be going to Bob's house." Darcy addressed his cousin.

"Mom didn't want Sandra to have to host anyone at this point, we can drive over from here."

The housekeeper opened the door and the four family members deposited their things in their respective rooms before heading to the garage, where Richard chose to drive the SUV to his brother's home.

"My God, you people have a lot of cars." Elizabeth observed from the back seat she shared with Georgiana.

"It's always nice to have options." Richard explained.

"What do you mean 'you people,' Elizabeth?" Darcy seemed a bit perturbed by her comment.

"Rich people, I guess."

Her husband bit back a defensive retort and instead chose to use the opportunity to tease her. "I am sorry Sweetheart, did you want another car also?"

"What?"

"I know that blue does not always match your outfit. Perhaps something in a nice charcoal gray would do better."

Georgiana's eyes went wide at her brother's uncommon attempt at humor, and she looked at Elizabeth warily, as if expecting the other woman to get upset. Instead, a melodious laughter filled the car.

"Don't be ridiculous Fitzwilliam, my next car absolutely must be green to match my ring."

They all shared a laugh as they turned the corner into the nearby neighborhood where Bob and Sandra Fitzwilliam lived.

-o-o-o-o-

Before any of them could ring the doorbell, Rachel Fitzwilliam opened it and invited them in with a quiet voice, explaining that the baby was sleeping and they were attempting to keep it that way.

They exchanged hushed pleasantries and the newly arrived family was treated to a plethora of almost identical-looking baby pictures taken mostly at the hospital. Before too long, however, a loud wail from upstairs announced that the infant was ready to be see in person.

Not long after he proclaimed himself to be awake, Kevin Fitzwilliam was brought downstairs by an unfamiliar gray-haired woman. After several moments of appreciation for the infant's cuteness, the woman introduced herself as his nanny, Miranda Simpson, and set the child in a bassinet that had been waiting in the living room for that purpose. Soon, the object of everyone's attention fell asleep again, and conversation turned to more adult topics.

Mrs. Simpson excused herself for a moment and not long after, the baby began to fuss. Being the closest, Elizabeth took it upon herself to comfort the child, lifting him gently from his resting place and cooing to him as she cradled him in her arms. She began humming a lullaby, which seemed to soothe him, and soon Kevin was asleep again, happily nestled against her bosom.

"I'm afraid to put him down now, I don't want to disturb his sleep." She whispered to everyone assembled.

"I know I wouldn't want to move if I were him, that looks like quite a comfortable position." Richard grinned excessively lasciviously to emphasize his joke, and winked at Elizabeth who only smiled indulgently in response to his teasing.

"Richard!" His mother admonished him as Darcy glared at his cousin.

"What? Darcy knows what I mean."

The man in question opened his mouth to respond, but finding nothing appropriate to say, instead moved closer to his wife, sliding his arm possessively around her waist; which earned him an indulgent smile and eye roll as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Georgiana lost no time in snapping a picture of the couple with the dark-haired baby, thinking to herself how very like a complete family they looked. She was not alone in her pondering. Darcy had genuinely understood Elizabeth when she had declared herself not ready for children and had agreed that they would not discuss the subject again until she had completed her MBA as planned, but as he looked down at her holding his cousin's child, he was overcome with the desire to see her holding his child, their child as soon as possible.

Kevin slept most of the evening, even as he was passed around the room, and hardly complained about being placed in his bassinet when it was time for dinner, which his grandmother had ordered from a nearby restaurant. Before they left for the night, he was outfitted in the tiny blue hat and booties which Elizabeth had just managed to finish on the plane.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy was quiet on the ride back to his aunt and uncle's home, but he insisted that Georgiana ride in front seat, and held his wife's hand the entire short trip, stroking the back of it thoughtfully with his thumb.

The silence persisted until they were ensconced in their guest room that evening, getting ready for bed.

"I want children, Elizabeth."

"I know you do, I do too, we've talked about it. Two or three sounds great to me, we can start in a few years."

"I mean I think I am ready now."

Elizabeth stopped what she was doing to look him in the eye. "Like I said, we have already talked about it and you said you understood that I'm not ready yet, I have things I want to do first."

"You can still go to school then work, we will get a nanny."

"I don't want my children raised by a nanny, I want to be a mother, I just want to do it in a couple of years, after I'm done with school. What's made you so baby crazy all of a sudden?"

"Do you really need to ask that question? Seeing you holding Kevin today just made me realize how much I long to see you holding our child and how impatient I am for that to happen."

"Fitzwilliam, I seriously need you to calm down about this whole baby thing."

"I am not worked up, I just -"

"No, it's my turn to talk now." Elizabeth was annoyed and needed him to know it; all gentle teasing of earlier in the day was forgotten. "We've been married for less than three months, there is absolutely no reason for you to be pining for a baby this early like some hormonal girl. If you can't handle waiting two years, then you'd better tell me now, because if this is a dealbreaker for you, I need to know about it. Maybe that pre - post - whatever - nuptial contract wasn't such a bad idea after all."

"Are you saying you would leave me over this?"

"I'm saying that I'm not ready yet to have a baby and if you need one so damn badly, then maybe you should have married someone who is."

"No, Elizabeth, please understand, I want children, but only with you. I thought we established that during the whole Marissa debacle."

"I thought so too, yet here you are, demanding something I'm not ready to give you."

Darcy stepped closer to his wife and enveloped her unyielding body in his arms. Although she did not relax, neither did she fight his hold. "I am sorry, truly, I suppose that I was just overcome when I saw you holding a baby today. Like I said, it just put so many thoughts in my head and I spoke without truly considering everything I was saying."

"I don't want you thinking you can't talk to me, really there shouldn't be anything you're afraid to say, but I need you not to pressure me again."

"Of course, Sweetheart." He was glad that the horrifying concept of divorce seemed to be completely off the table.

"I'm serious, I can't have this argument with you again in a couple of weeks when Aunt Maddie gives birth and you see me holding that infant too. If I'm going to have to steer completely clear of babies in your presence until I feel ready to procreate, that's going to be a problem for me." She wrapped her arms gently around his waist, finally relaxing in her husband's embrace.

"I promise, no more pressure, but if you get your MBA finished in under two years . . ." He trailed off suggestively.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I know what my birth control pills look like, and will be able to tell if you replace them with tic tacs."

Darcy would have been insulted at her suggestion, but could hear the smile in her voice. "Do not be ridiculous, Elizabeth, I am sure that I could manage to acquire much higher quality fakes than breath mints."

She laughed, always wanting to encourage his sense of humor, especially at awkward times, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear. "Someday," she promised.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day and a half were spent again at the home of the younger Fitzwilliams, appreciating the baby and talking with the more adult family members. Although Darcy smiled in a longing manner each time he saw Elizabeth take little Kevin into her arms, he refrained from mentioning their own future children to her again.

They returned to Chicago on Sunday afternoon and were soon back into their regular routine, which lasted only a few days.

-o-o-o-o-

When Elizabeth and Darcy returned home from work on Friday, they found Doug and Steve Gardiner at the house, playing in the shallow end of the pool. Little Steve's colorful water wings kept him from submerging completely. Georgiana was sitting in her bathing suit, watching them from the edge, her feet dangling in the water as she snapped occasional photos with her digital camera.

"Hey, Brother," she greeted when Darcy came outside, "Aren't you glad you let me take that lifeguard class now?"

"I will be happiest if it turns out you never need it." He kissed his sister on the top of her head. "I did not know we were expecting guests."

"It was kind of out of the blue, Mr. Gardiner called a couple of hours ago, Mrs. Gardiner went into labor and he was hoping I could babysit. Mrs. Gardiner's mom is coming in a couple of days, they weren't expecting the baby until next week, I think. Anyway, I suggested they come here instead, then you and Lizzy will be here in case they need to stay overnight; plus, they like the pool. Where is Lizzy, by the way?"

"She saw you all through the window and went to put on her bathing suit. Has the baby come yet?"

"I don't think so, I assume we'd be among their first calls. Besides, I think she had pretty far to go, Mr. Gardiner said there was plenty of time to drop the boys off, and he didn't seem too rushed even when they left here." She turned to wave at Elizabeth, who was coming out of the house dressed to swim. As the other woman spread her towel over a lounge chair, Georgiana recapped all that she had just explained about the situation.

Elizabeth told her husband to change his clothes as well, then joined the boys in the pool, although the summer warmth was waning as evening fell. By the time they were finished with dinner, no call had come from the Gardiners.

They all watched a cartoon movie together that evening, and Darcy did his best not to be moved by the way Elizabeth cuddled one of her cousins while his sister held the other child in her arms.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually, the boys were tucked into bed in a room close to Georgiana's, she had clearly planned to be their number one babysitter for the duration. As they climbed the stairs to the master bedroom after bestowing goodnight kisses, Darcy could not help but to broach a dangerous topic of conversation.

"I am not resurrecting an argument, but I just wanted you to know, Elizabeth, how much hope it gives me for the future to see you with children like that."

"As long as you're not asking me to move up the timetable to which we agreed, I'll take that as a compliment."

"That is exactly how I meant it." He reached out to hold her hand, which she happily let him do. They got ready for bed, then spent some time together in their sitting area, talking of various things.

Darcy did not admit that he was still considering children of their own when he began kissing her on the couch. The words he whispered in her ear as he carried her to the bed were only of love, but the idea of procreation was there, in the back of his mind.

He knew that the birth control pills his wife took would prevent his wish from coming to pass. Still, a kernel of guilt at having such a desire in the first place, despite her objections, kept him awake long after Elizabeth fell asleep in his arms.

-o-o-o-o-

When the phone rang not long after midnight, Darcy tried to pick it up before it could awaken his wife but the noise, combined with his movement, caused her eyes to flutter open in confusion. She consciously caught only the tail end of her husband's conversation.

"That is wonderful, I will wait to share the news until morning, if you do not mind. . . Yes, of course, whenever she is up to it, give us a call. We will see you tomorrow then; Congratulations, again." Darcy hung up the phone, and noticed the stirring body beside him.

"I am sorry you woke up, Sweetheart, I tried to answer quickly."

"No, I'm glad I did, was that my uncle?"

"Yes, you have a new cousin now, born just before midnight, her name is Helen. He thought we would like to know as soon as possible."

"A girl? That's great, Aunt Maddie didn't like to admit it, but she really wanted a girl. She was afraid she'd be overrun with testosterone if she had another boy."

Darcy laughed. "Ed sounded excited about it too, he says she has just enough hair in which to tie a little pink bow."

Elizabeth smiled and pulled him down to lie next to him. "We'll tell Georgie and the boys in the morning, for now I think we should go back to sleep." She kissed her husband thoroughly and snuggled up against him. "Someday, I promise, we'll have one too." Upon hearing her reassurance, Darcy was finally able to fall asleep.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, after breakfast, the Darcys and little Gardiners piled into the SUV and went to the hospital to meet the new addition. There was an appropriate amount of oohing at the baby's cuteness and arrangements were made for the Gardiner boys to be returned to their home on Monday evening. Although they missed their parents some, they also loved the novelty of the swimming pool and game room at the Darcy house and were not upset in the least to stay there for two more days with their favorite babysitter, Georgiana.

Darcy managed to keep his mouth shut regarding his paternal longings even as he watched his wife hold her newest cousin in her arms. He knew he did not need to worry, his hope for the future was secure.


	58. Chapter 58

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-58

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 90% intact._

_[FFN Chapter edited to add the side note I forgot: For any of you who have been reading my very slowly moving other story (_Scottish Air_) exclusively on my google site, I posted another chapter, number eight. I would appreciate feedback about both this story and that one, Thanks :) A warning for anybody who wants to go read the Regency twist - it is rated M for mature and there is no edited version.]_

**Chapter 58**

_Saturday 11 August 2001 – Tuesday 15 August 2001_

Darcy was reading a book in the family room when the mail arrived on Saturday. He did not hear the truck that delivered it, but he could not miss Elizabeth's exclamation as she ran into the room, waving an opened envelope.

"I can't believe she's actually doing it. I know she says she loves him but, ew." She joined him on the loveseat and cuddled against his side.

"Who loves whom, Sweetheart?"

"Oh, sorry; Charlotte Lucas and Bill Collins. First of all, I can't believe she's marrying him – next month! Second, even though it doesn't make any sense, given how we've been growing apart, I'm a little hurt that she didn't ask me to be a bridesmaid." Elizabeth pulled out the envelope's contents and displayed them; an invitation and an RSVP card with an envelope. An envelope, incidentally, which lacked postage. It was just like Collins, she thought, to balk at the expense of basic politeness.

"Perhaps you should call her. You could congratulate her personally and get the answers you seek."

"I don't know, her whole situation . . . I just don't get it. It's like I can't respect her choices these days. Still though, she's been my friend for so long." Elizabeth sighed, unsure of what to do.

"I think we should go to the wedding, Sweetheart. You will regret it if you miss this momentous occasion in Charlotte's life. Whatever your relationship now, it will likely not recover if you snub her on the most important day of her life."

They agreed that they would attend the wedding, which was to be in New York City, but under no circumstances would they stay with Catherine DeBourgh.

-o-o-o-o-

On Sunday evening, two days before Georgiana's birthday, Darcy received some unpleasant news from his sister.

"What do you mean you don't want to go out for your birthday? We always go out to dinner together to celebrate."

The teenager heaved a sigh, neither the first nor the last she would that day. "We can go out the day before or after, but John made reservations for us on Tuesday."

"They cannot possibly be at a place nicer than - "

"It doesn't matter!" Georgiana cut off her brother's protest. "I don't care where we go, I just want to spend my birthday with him." She turned on her heel and stormed off.

Elizabeth had been in the family room, not eavesdropping on purpose, but unable to prevent overhearing the uproar. Upon her sister-in-law's departure, she joined her husband in the kitchen and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's not that she doesn't love you, it's just that she's growing up, she needs you to get that."

"She is choosing him over me, over us."

"She's choosing independence at the moment. What if we made it so she doesn't have to choose; what about suggesting the four of us go out together?"

"This is her sixteenth birthday, it ought to be a family dinner. She is having a party this coming weekend, he can come to that." Darcy was petulant and Elizabeth knew only one cure, she sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck.

"Think about how well you get along with my dad." She looked into his eyes for a moment as he did so. "Do you know why that is? He feels like you took me away from him and he can't deal with it. Consequently, my relationship with him has suffered. I've only talked to him twice since they were here last month, we used to be so close."

"That is hardly the same thing, we are married and - "

"In some ways, it is the same thing. He wants me to choose him over you, which I resent. Consequently, I pull back from him. I knew we wouldn't be as close once I moved out of the house, but I never expected it to be like this. You don't want that to happen between you and Georgie."

"She is fifteen years old!" He protested.

"Of course she is, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about her sixteenth birthday, which you need to let her celebrate however she sees fit, within reason. Her perfectly respectable boyfriend wants to take her out to a nice dinner, I say you let him. We will see her before she goes and can give her presents anytime that day or the next. We can even wait up for her if that's what you want."

"I do want that."

"Of course you do." Elizabeth kissed him in what she meant to be a chaste manner, but he did not let her pull back and deepened the kiss. She sensed the emotional neediness behind his action, and gave in to one of her favorite activities.

Ten minutes later, when Georgiana came back into the kitchen, they were still kissing. She turned quickly on her heel, but was unable to escape before she was noticed.

"Georgiana, wait." Darcy said, looking at her with unfocused eyes and swollen lips. "You can go out with John on Tuesday, but your curfew remains the same.

"Thanks, Brother; or, should I say, thanks, Lizzy?"

"Either way, isn't it time for you to go to bed?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever'll get me away from the excessive PDA the fastest."

Elizabeth laughed as the teenager hurried away and up the stairs to her bedroom. It was not long after, that she and her husband were headed for a similar destination.

-o-o-o-o-

"I have had a highly disturbing revelation." Darcy said, as he lay in bed waiting for Elizabeth to join him.

"What's that?" She stood at the sink, just within his eyeline, washing her face.

"You are closer to Georgie's age than to my own."

"Barely."

"Still, when you compare her situation to yours, it is disconcerting. You are significantly younger than I am and when I think about it, it seems wrong to have taken you away from your father in such a manner."

"We've been over this, Fitzwilliam; I am a consenting adult." She stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in her robe and holding a toothbrush in her hand, and looked at him in an exasperated manner. "You're not seriously comparing me to your sister, are you?"

"No, of course not, I just . . . I can't . . ." He heaved a sigh of frustration. "Never mind." Darcy rolled onto his side and pulled the sheet up to his shoulder.

Elizabeth, concerned with what she saw as a setback in the progress he had been making, used his distraction to sneak into her closet, where she retrieved something before returning to the bathroom and shutting the door.

The lights were still on some time later when she emerged, sans robe, into the bedroom.

"Are you still thinking about Georgiana?"

Darcy was about to reply that he was, when he opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of Elizabeth who, in the moment, reminded him not at all of his sister.

She was wearing an outfit that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Either she had been lingerie shopping recently or she had been holding something in reserve, because he thought he had seen all of her sexy things already but this was new to his eye.

He stared at her for several minutes as she stood, smiling in her best seductive manner. Finally, she broke the silence.

"You were saying something about your sister?"

"I most certainly was not."

She went to the bed, where Darcy quickly joined her and thought of nothing but his wife until morning.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, after work, Elizabeth and Darcy met to go shopping. Although they agreed that the car purchased the previous month would be Georgiana's main birthday present, Elizabeth still wanted her to have something smaller to open on her actual birthday. Darcy was apprehensive about their destination.

"Why don't you want to go shopping? It can be a lot of fun." Elizabeth led him by the hand.

"I do not shop much, especially not at retail establishments such as this."

"You mean the mall, you don't go to the mall much. Talk like a regular person once in a while." She smiled and threaded her arm through his, shoving to the back of her mind the worry that they might be seen by a co-worker; the summer was almost over, she reasoned.. "Where do you usually get Georgie's presents - and your own clothes?"

"I order things, mostly. Also, Mrs. Reynolds obtains items when I require them."

"That's right, you've probably never been to the grocery store either. Maybe we'll go there next week to expand your horizons." Elizabeth teased, pulling him along as they entered through a large department store.

Almost immediately, a display of trendy purses caught her eye and she spent some time looking through them as her husband looked at his watch repeatedly. Eventually, much to his relief, she selected one and allowed him to pay for it.

Afterward, they were passing through the jewelry department when Elizabeth saw something she liked.

"Ooh, look at those pearls, aren't they pretty?" She pointed to a simple strand.

"I suppose so, what is special about them?"

"Nothing really, that's what I like. They are simple but elegant. They would go with a lot of different dresses. I do have more need to dress up these days, maybe I should get them." She bit her lip, unsure of the protocol in this situation. She did not know whether to ask him to buy them or hand over her own credit card. He paid the bills, but she did earn money herself. Perhaps she should just buy the necklace for herself, she was sure there were be plenty of occasions in her future that would warrant jewelry. She addressed the saleswoman. "May I see that one, there, please?"

She fastened it about her own neck with some difficulty, as her husband seemed disinclined to help her. Looking in the mirror, Elizabeth asked what he thought. He lifted the price tag and looked at it before replying.

"Elizabeth, this is a three hundred dollar strand of pearls." He emphasized the price and she did not understand the reason. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but the saleswoman replied before she could figure out what to say in response.

"You picked a great day for jewelry shopping today, all our pearls are half off!" The woman offered eagerly.

"No, thank you." Darcy removed the necklace from his wife's neck without consulting her and handed them back to the disappointed saleswoman.

Elizabeth was appalled at his high-handed behavior. She considered buying the necklace right there just to prove to him that she did not take orders and had half unzipped her purse before she thought better of it. She would discuss this with him later, but for now she would make an effort not to act like a petulant child. She pressed her lips together to suppress angry words and moved along.

"We are here to shop for Georgiana, remember?" He asked, a bit tightly.

"Of course." Elizabeth spoke to him minimally as they moved through the store, selecting a bottle of perfume and a cashmere sweater to add to their collection of birthday gifts before leaving the store.

-o-o-o-o-

They hardly spoke on the way home but put on a happy façade that evening for Georgiana's early birthday celebration. Richard joined them for dinner and cake, after which, the birthday girl happily opened her presents and thanked their givers. Elizabeth helped Mrs. Reynolds clean up then made her way, slowly, up to the third floor.

"Please don't be angry with me." Her husband, already in bed, asked.

"Angry, why would I be angry? Maybe because you treated me like a child when we were at Marshall Field's today?"

"I did not think that necklace was suited to your needs."

"What was wrong with it?" Darcy opened his mouth to answer, but she did not allow him to do so. "You know what? It doesn't matter, this isn't about the necklace, it's about the way you treated me."

"What way?" He was genuinely confused.

"Like I needed your permission to buy it. I have my own money, you know."

"I know, but I wish you would not think of it in that manner. Remember, we agreed that the money is neither yours nor mine now, but rather ours." He rose to put his arms around her, but she evaded him and grabbed a few things before going to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

She emerged wearing her full-coverage pajamas, which succeeded in sending the message she intended, and climbed into bed beside him, being careful to stay on her own side and not touch him at all.

"Elizabeth?" Darcy tried to get her attention without reaching his hand out to her as he wished to do. "Elizabeth, I do not want us to go to bed angry."

"I'm not angry, I'm hurt. I just don't get why you had to – never mind."

"No, please finish your thought."

"It was just so unlike you to be concerned about the price like that."

"Of course I was concerned about the price, the price is often indicative of quality. Besides I already – " He turned his face away and did not finish his sentence.

"Now you're the one who needs to finish your thought."

"No, it is not pertinent at the moment. Please, just remember that I love you and respect you."

"Well you have a funny way of showing it." She rolled to the side so that her back faced him. "Good night."

"Good night," he almost left it at that, but could not help but add, "Why must you still think the worst of me?"

She did not respond.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, they all ate breakfast together and if Georgiana noticed anything amiss between her brother and his wife, she did not mention it. Once they went their separate ways for the day, they did not cross paths again until much later.

After work, Elizabeth went to visit the Gardiners. She called before she knew Darcy would return home and left a message with Mrs. Reynolds that she would not be back for dinner. She spent the evening cooing over the baby and playing with her more active cousins before she sought her aunt's advice regarding her first marital fight.

"Lizzy, I know it seems bad, but he has a point."

"That I shouldn't buy pretty things for myself?"

"Of course not, I can't explain that reaction, I meant that you tend to assume the worst right off the bat. I remember what you told me about when you discussed children, how you thought he might want to break up with you because you weren't ready for them."

"That was different, he didn't say anything mean to me."

"It doesn't sound like he did this time either, I know he was a bit rude but you called him on that. You may just have to wait and see if that influences his future behavior. If it does, he's a keeper. Successful relationships aren't about finding someone who is perfect for you, it's about finding someone who's willing to adapt to you."

"If he's not?"

"Then you have some talking to do. Remember, you have to adapt to him too. Anyway, this was just a fight and I'm not saying he's not at fault, I'm just saying you need to let him apologize if he is willing, and try to move past it if he's not."

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth took her aunt's advice to heart. That night, when she returned home, she saw a bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen table, bearing a card with her name. She smiled at the sight and paused to smell them before moving into the family room where she expected to find her husband reading, as he often did in the evenings.

The moment he saw her, Darcy put his book down and stood. They looked at each other across the room for a few seconds before they began speaking at once.

"I'm sorry for - "

"I saw the - "

They both stopped and Darcy gestured for Elizabeth to go ahead and say her piece. "Really, Fitzwilliam, roses? That's a bit cliché, don't you think?" Her slight smile belied her tone and he took a step toward her as she spoke again. "Thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful."

"I am sorry Elizabeth, for how I spoke to you yesterday. I love you and I never wish to fight with you."

"I love you too. I don't really understand what happened, but I think I'd like to move past it."

"I would like that too."

They tentatively embraced and spent the rest of the evening in a companionable, if not passionate, manner. When Georgiana arrived home from her special date, walking on air, she was surprised to find them playing a card game together across the coffee table. Realizing how late it had become, the couple wished her one last happy birthday before they all went off to bed.


	59. Chapter 59

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-59

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_However, that doesn't really apply today, this chapter is basically the same as the one I am posting at the other site, I don't think I changed more than five words, if that._

**Chapter 59**

_Friday 17 August 2001 - Tuesday 28 August 2001_

The week of Georgiana's birthday was also Jane's last as Bingley's employee. On Friday, she said goodbye to those in the Ann Arbor office with whom she had become friends, and caught the bus home for a final time. She spent her weekend packing, and on Monday, she and Mary packed up Mrs. Bennet's minivan and drove to Chicago. Mary agreed to stay only one night before turning back around despite Elizabeth's offer to let her stay for the weeks until she needed to return to school.

Officially, Jane would be living with the Gardiners. Bingley had tried to talk her into moving to his house right away, but she hesitated to do so, and it was not only her father's disapproval that kept her from agreeing. They were engaged and she was sure that was the right decision, but she did not want to rush into anything. Still, it seemed silly to get her own apartment when she planned to marry him in the not-too-distant future. So many apartments required year-long leases and she did not plan to hold out for that long.

Fortunately for Jane, there were multiple welcoming relatives awaiting her in the same city as her fiancé. She had been offered a place to live in the enormous Darcy house, but had instead chosen to stay with her aunt and uncle. She would be in town for nearly a month before she began working and although she appreciated the time to settle in, she did not want to be completely idle. She figured that Mrs. Gardiner would need help with the new baby and she would happily provide that as long as she was available.

Jane had vowed to herself that she would not spend more than two or three nights per week away from her new, albeit temporary, home. She hoped that Bingley would understand her need to ease into cohabitation. She did fully expect to be living with him before they got married. The future situation would be unpleasant to explain to her parents, particularly her father, but she resolved to cross that bridge only when she came to it.

Elizabeth enjoyed having her closest sister in the same city, even if not in the same house. During Jane's first week in town and Elizabeth's last week of work, they met nearly every day for lunch.

-o-o-o-o-

The Pemberley summer internship program was coming to an end for the year and with it, the newlyweds' need for secrecy. Elizabeth felt that she had worked hard that summer to prove her worth as an employee regardless of her connections and convinced herself that it did not matter what her fellow interns thought in the future anyway, they would all be going their separate ways after the farewell party on Friday. Well, some were staying on; Jeff from her division. He had a few years of corporate experience behind him already and had managed to use the internship as a stepping stone to a long-term career within the company. The approach was something Elizabeth had once considered but with no financial barriers to continuing her education immediately, she had chosen to get an MBA instead.

It was with great trepidation that Darcy and Elizabeth entered the large conference room together on Friday afternoon, at the same time but not exactly together. Both felt as if every eye present was upon them, although there were no overt stares. They separated and each talked to several coworkers before Darcy called everyone's attention to give the requisite speech. He spoke, as he always did, about how Pemberley chose only the best of the best and the interns who were leaving them all had bright futures ahead. He welcomed those who would be remaining to the Pemberley family, there were a few from other divisions as well. He then took a deep breath and plowed ahead with a more difficult, though joyful, topic.

"I now have an announcement regarding my other family, the one I have outside of this office. Actually, I suppose the announcement is about how the two intersect." He seemed more nervous than Elizabeth had ever heard him sound in public. "Most of you have gotten to know Elizabeth Bennet over the past few months and are no doubt aware that she is nothing but an asset to this company. Although I know her as an exemplary student and employee, I also know her as my wife."

There were several gasps but far less than he had expected. Nearly every head, however, turned in the direction of his gaze to look upon a blushing Elizabeth. Darcy cleared his throat and went on with his disclosure. "She was hired by the Human Resources department, as you all were, with no undue influence from myself. We were married just before the internship program began, but chose to keep it from you so as not to influence Elizabeth's treatment here. I – we apologize for the deception, but felt it was necessary to maintain the natural order of the office. I hope that you can all respect our decision and judge Elizabeth's work on its own merit. Again, thank you to all the interns for your excellent work this summer, I wish you luck in your future endeavors." He tried to close in a manner that would discourage questions.

Upon rejoining the crowd, he headed at once for Elizabeth, whom he could now acknowledge in public as more than a mere employee, which he anticipated greatly. Before he managed to join her, however, she was pulled into a conversation with her fellow intern, Penelope. He hung back, not wanting to eavesdrop, at least not overtly. There were plenty of people around willing to talk to him though, and it was some time before he managed to meet up with his wife.

-o-o-o-o-

"How could you?" The angry woman asked. "How could you not tell me? I thought we were friends!"

"I'm sorry, Penny, really I am." Elizabeth wished that she could have had this conversation in private. Although she regretted having to lie to anybody, this had been her most personal relationship at Pemberley, since she had not been able to acknowledge her husband.

"The things you let me say to you, that I thought he was hot that I would have totally let him - " she stopped, her brow furrowing as a thought occurred. "That woman in his office, oh my God, he's cheating on you, the sleaze. Before, I thought he was just a player and that was kind of dirty and hot, but since he's married that makes . . ." Penelope had gone from hurt anger directed at Elizabeth to indignant fury on her behalf in in an instant.

Elizabeth tried to stifle a laugh.

"It's not funny, it's horrible how men are. My cousin's a lawyer, I'll get you her number. I bet you can get half of his Pemberley shares if you didn't sign a pre-nup. Even if you did, I'm sure there's something you can do." She reached in her purse, perhaps to pull out her cousin's business card when Elizabeth stayed her hand with a gentle touch.

"Don't worry about it, he's not cheating on me."

"But he did, right here in this building. Carla told me herself that the big boss had a woman in his office, she even found the evidence in his trash can!"

"She really shouldn't have been going through his trash."

"That's not the point, the point is that he had some skank -" her eyes flitted up to Elizabeth's and, noticing the embarrassed look there she realized her mistake. "You! You were . . ."

". . . the skank. Yep, guilty as charged." Elizabeth's cheeks blushed pink as she admitted her participation in the illicit event.

Penelope burst into laughter and Elizabeth joined her in her mirth. Several minutes later, the women were able to hug and agree to remain friends.

"I'm sorry you're going to Stanford for your MBA, I'll miss having you around."

"You won't miss me, not with tall, dark, and bossy to keep you occupied." She referenced a nickname she had tried and rejected earlier in the summer as silly. Fortunately, silliness was exactly what Elizabeth needed at the moment and she was smiling when they finally parted.

-o-o-o-o-

The farewell party extended past regular work hours and, as the boss, Darcy had to stay until the very end. Finally, the last of his employees said goodbye and he was left alone with his wife amid stacks of empty plates and glasses. The cleaning crew would be by later in the evening.

"Well, that was fun." She took advantage of there being no witnesses to sit upon his lap. Despite their now public relationship, they had still avoided too much public display at the party, only occasionally squeezing each other's hands when they managed to get the chance.

"You were certainly a popular woman today." He had hardly had a chance to speak with her since the announcement and resented it slightly.

"Yeah, everyone wanted to talk about what you said, but was afraid to talk to you."

"Well, what did everyone have to say?"

"You know what's amazing? A lot of people actually seemed to know already. I guess the rumor mill here at Pemberley is more productive than you thought."

"Also, better at keeping a secret. I had no idea we were under any suspicion."

"Apparently, one person saw us shopping a couple of weeks ago and a couple of others have seen us out to dinner at various times. We were even spotted together at the hospital when Helen was born."

"So there was no point in keeping the secret? Everybody already knew?"

"Not everybody, somehow it was kept a complete secret from the all the interns in my division. Penelope was kind of upset that she didn't know, since we were the closest to each other. You know, she thinks you're pretty cute and she said as much to me a few this summer, now she's embarrassed about that. She's also the one who clued me in to the rumor of your affair. I'm pretty sure we're okay now, at least I hope so." Elizabeth sighed. "She's going to school in California, so I'll likely not see her much anyway."

"Was she the only intern who was upset? We did this so that you would not get special treatment, but I would hate to think it ruined friendships for you."

"Vik and Jeff used to both flirt with me a little, my constantly absent fiancé wasn't much of a deterrent. Although it was always harmless, this announcement seems to have put the kibosh on that and neither really wanted to talk to me about it, or much at all." Elizabeth heaved another sigh. "Although I'm glad to have avoided a scene, somehow this ending seems very anti-climactic."

"I'll give you a climax when we get home." Darcy whispered suggestively into her ear as one hand stole beneath her skirt to stroke her thigh.

"Fitzwilliam!" Elizabeth laughed out loud, immediately more cheerful. "To think, just six months ago, I would have thought that kind of off-color comment completely beneath you." He opened his mouth to speak again and she pressed two fingers to his lips. "So help me, if the next thing you say is something about me being beneath you, it won't happen for a week!" The wide smile on her face and way she caressed his cheek implied that no action, or lack thereof, would truly back up her threat. Despite that, her husband chose not to say anything, but rather to plant a kiss on her smiling mouth.

When the kiss ended, it was Elizabeth who spoke again, repeating her former observation. "It is amazing how, despite so many people knowing out secret, my immediate peer group remained completely unaware."

"Perhaps the interns here are not as integrated into the company as I thought."

"Perhaps your employees are loyal enough to want to keep your secrets, at least from anyone who might be upset by them, the people who had the power to make me feel guilty for exploiting our relationship even though I don't think I did."

"You didn't," he kissed her reassuringly, "and that is a more optimistic assumption."

"You know me, the glass is always half full." She took the initiative this time and kissed him deeply for a few moments, then stood up next to him. "Now you can take me home and I don't care who sees."

He guided her to stand between his legs and pulled her down for yet another kiss before rising to his feet as well. "Your optimism is one of the many, many things I love about you, Sweetheart."

Elizabeth smiled and entwined her fingers with his as they walked toward the parking garage.

-o-o-o-o-

That Tuesday, a wedding announcement ran in the newspaper, including a photograph that had been taken during the filming of the show was never to air.

Elizabeth determined to enjoy her time off between work and school, which she would be starting in September at Northwestern. Darcy took two days of vacation from work so that he could take her on a short trip. It was the first birthday of many that they would spend together and he wished to make it as memorable as possible.

He could not book a cottage for the actual anniversary of her birth, however, it seemed that the Bennets had a monopoly on that. Elizabeth insisted on celebrating at Longbourn Street that Sunday, and Darcy could not deny her anything. They invited Georgiana to join them for the gathering at the Bennet home, but she insisted that she could not miss the myriad of social events that seemed to be taking place before school began.

Although Georgiana had been practicing driving faithfully all summer, under the guidance of both her brother and her new sister-in-law, she was still without her license. Darcy was unsure he trusted her new friends to be driving his sister about town and made sure that Goodrich would be available to chauffeur her throughout his absence and he asked Richard to spend a few days watching over the teenager.

"Mrs. Reynolds offered to stay on this weekend to take care of Georgiana, but I wanted her to be able to spend the holiday with her daughter as she had originally planned. Will you two be alright without her?"

"For God's sake, Darcy, I do manage to feed myself on a regular basis, I won't let the girl starve or anything."

"Fine, please try to serve her something other than pizza at least once while we are gone."

Richard rolled his eyes and agreed.


	60. Chapter 60

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-60

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 96% intact._

_[ For those of you who have been reading the M-rated version of this story and / or my slowly moving other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I just added a new chapter) exclusively on my google site, I have added an RSS feed for the update page so that you can find out about things as I post them there. If the feed thing doesn't work for you, there is also now a mailing list. I will endeavor to remember to mention new _Scottish Air_ chapters here as long as this story continues, but if you want to read it, eventually that will be the only way to find out when they are posted. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 60**

_Thursday 30 August 2001 – Monday 3 September 2001_

On Thursday morning, no alarm went off and everyone got to sleep in a bit. Being naturally early risers though, Elizabeth and Darcy were both soon awake and preparing for their trip. By the time they were ready to leave, Georgiana was up as well, although still bleary-eyed and in her pajamas, making the most of her last week of summer vacation. They bade her farewell and set off on their journey.

After a few hours on the road, they dropped their things off at a small but luxurious cabin by Lake Michigan, then went out for a nice lunch. Elizabeth admitted to feeling both excitement and trepidation over the upcoming school year and found her husband's encouragement soothing. After returning to the cabin, at Elizabeth's instigation, they changed into their swimsuits in order to take advantage of the lake and warm weather.

When Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom in her one-piece bathing suit, Darcy regarded her carefully. His eyes traveled up and down her black-clad torso, from the high neckline that covered any hint of cleavage to the modestly-cut leg holes. Although it could not really be called worn out, it was also clearly not new and sagged the slightest bit in a few places.

"We absolutely cannot go swimming until you open one of your birthday presents." He proclaimed.

She met his intense gaze and was sure she saw a hint of disapproval in the way he was regarding her. Elizabeth tried to dismiss this idea, she had been so sure of his disapprobation in the past when it was totally untrue. Now, however, she knew him better. His look was not one of lust, though, which she might have expected when clad only in spandex. She wondered what could be his problem.

"It's not my birthday yet, you know."

"I know." He walked to his open suitcase and pulled out a small, wrapped package. "Still, I would like you to open this now, please."

She rolled her eyes at his imperiousness, but acquiesced, sitting on the bed and tearing off the paper obediently. Inside, she saw white and green patterned fabric and lifted it out of the box. Soon, she was holding up what appeared to be half of a bathing suit.

"Jane said it is called a tankini. There are two pieces, but it is less, ah, flashy than a traditional bikini. Not that I would mind, of course, seeing you in one of those, but I was advised not to leap from one extreme to the other immediately and I assumed it was best to trust your sister's advice."

Elizabeth saw that the other half of the suit was still in the box. It was solid green and the set was more trendy, certainly, than what she had on, but not at all slutty by her standards. The top was cut in a manner that would show some cleavage, but the lower hem would extend nearly to her navel. The bottom was basic and, to Elizabeth's relief, nowhere near a thong. "I do appreciate the full ass coverage," she remarked wryly.

He smiled. "That is a drawback, I must admit."

"I'm grateful for your restraint, Jane's right, I think a string bikini might have been a bit extreme for me at this juncture."

"I have seen you in less."

"Well, of course you have and I wouldn't have a problem wearing something like that if it was just the two of us, but I need to be able to wear a bathing suit in public as well and even though I'm not super self-conscious or anything, that might be too much, or rather too little as the case may be. Still," she looked at Darcy and saw that he was waiting for her to finish her thought, "I guess my other bathing suit was getting kind of old. Thank you, Fitzwilliam." She kissed him lightly on the lips then began removing her old suit. She was a little confused when her husband turned his back and began to leave the room. "I thought we'd established that you'd seen me in less."

"Yes, and although I enjoyed every one of those moments, none of them led to us being ready to go in a timely fashion."

Elizabeth smiled and, kicking off her black one-piece, walked the few steps before she could take hold of his arm. "I'm in no hurry."

Darcy turned around and looked into her eyes for a moment before scanning the rest of her body. He removed his tee shirt and swim trunks before letting her lead him to the bed, swimming could wait.

-o-o-o-o-

Some time later, they were lying together. Darcy curled his arm about his wife and encouraged her to settle against his chest. He would happily remain like this for hours, but Elizabeth had other ideas. She broke free of his arm and stood.

"We should take a quick shower before we go swimming. Do you want to join me?"

"If we were on a schedule, I might find that counterproductive. In this case, however, I welcome it."

She laughed. "I was just planning to rinse off a bit before putting on my bathing suit. Whatever could you have in mind?"

Whatever Darcy had in mind for the shower, he let it go and although there were plenty of wandering hands, the couple was soon ready to don their swimwear, and head out to the beach.

Once there, Darcy frolicked in a way he could only in Elizabeth's presence. They threw a beach ball back and forth, dove into the waves, and tried to sneak up on one another underwater. Eventually, they tired of the lake and lay together on towels spread out over the sand. They applied sunblock to each other and dozed on and off, basking in both the togetherness and opportunity for relaxation. That evening, after going out for a casual dinner, they returned to the cottage for a quiet evening.

They found, beneath the coffee table, a collection of board games and decided to play chess. Elizabeth's suggestion to make it strip chess was laughed off, but after she had won the game, she managed to get her show anyway.

-o-o-o-o-

The next two days were spent in a similar manner, they had no obligations to disrupt their fun. On Saturday afternoon, Darcy left for a short while, during which time Elizabeth decided to take a bubble bath. It was something for which she had rarely had the time when living with her family and she had become especially fond of the whirlpool tub in the master bathroom at her new home. This tub had no water jets, but she did have a fragrant bath foam, presented to her in a gift basket by her husband that morning.

Darcy must have entered the cottage quietly because she had no knowledge of his return until she opened her eyes to see him standing over her with a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh!"

"I am sorry to startle you, Sweetheart. Happy birthday." He knelt down and tucked back a curl that had escaped from her bun. "Take your time, I will be downstairs."

"You know it's not my birthday yet, right?"

"Of course not, but since we will be with your family tomorrow, I thought we could celebrate alone together tonight."

"Does that mean special birthday sex?" She batted her eyelashes.

Darcy could not contain his smile at her overt flirting. My plans are pure as the driven snow." He claimed, innocently.

Elizabeth sat up eagerly and the bubbles slid across her in an enticing manner. "Are we going out tonight?"

He gazed at her for a moment, unable to tear his eyes from her body, then recollected himself. "Then we would not be alone. I brought dinner here, it's staying warm in the oven. Take your time, I will be downstairs whenever you are ready." He leaned over for a quick kiss before leaving her alone to her bath.

Elizabeth tried to prolong her bath, but she no longer found relaxation amid the bubbles, she was too eager to discover what her husband had planned. She quickly toweled off and donned a simple sundress before joining him in the kitchen.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy had made the most of his short time to prepare. By the time Elizabeth appeared, he had set the table elegantly, complete with candlesticks, and was removing two plates from the oven. Soft music wafted in from the stereo in the next room. He heard her come in and turned to greet her, smiling at the welcome sight of his wife, her hair was pinned back from her face, but fell freely down her back.

After kissing her gently in greeting, which took a fair amount of self-control on Darcy's part, he escorted her to the table and pulled out a chair. He could not stop himself from leaning forward to smell her hair as he adjusted her seat. They had a nice dinner together. The food was delicious and the wine, excellent. When they were done, Darcy took Elizabeth's hand and led her to the living room, where the music was slightly louder, and asked her to dance.

Elizabeth eagerly acquiesced. Soon, he was holding her pressed against his body as they swayed to the music. Eventually, he was supporting her body with his own and decided it was time to retire for the evening. She protested such treatment when he scooped her up into his arms, but it was only a token, judging by the way she snuggled into his chest.

Once they arrived in the bedroom, he set about undressing his wife. She moved her body and lifted her limbs to facilitate the removal of her clothes, but otherwise lay passively as he went about his task.

"I am a lucky, lucky man."

"How's that?" Elizabeth barely opened her eyes as she responded.

"It's your birthday, but I am the one who gets to unwrap a present." He kissed her lips and felt her smile. Soon, he had finished with his task and she lay bare upon the bed. Darcy looked at her, enjoying the sight, despite the frequency with which he saw it. He noticed that her eyes were still closed.

"Are you tired, Sweetheart?"

"Mmm, just relaxed." She moved a bit toward his voice.

Unsure of what to do, Darcy stroked her cheek. "If you are ready to go to sleep . . ."

"What? No, I'm just willing to let you take care of me tonight; be in charge."

He considered the situation for a moment, then put his hands at his wife's waist and rolled her over onto her stomach. "I will be right back."

When Darcy returned, he had a bottle of massage oil in his hands and Elizabeth had not moved. He knelt on the bed next to her and drizzled the oil along her spine. She tensed a bit at the unexpected wet feeling, then relaxed when he put his hands on her back and spread out the oil with strong, sure strokes concentrating on her lower back, where he knew she carried tension.

Elizabeth let the massage go on for some time, until she felt almost tranquilized by his loving attention. Then, she rolled over to face her husband. He was sitting to the side of her, still fully dressed and smiled to see her dreamy expression. He was going to reluctantly suggest that they try to sleep, given how relaxed she looked, but she reached out to him and so he took her hands instead, waiting to see what she would say.

"Make love to me, Fitzwilliam." He could not have heard any request that would have pleased him more.

He stood to remove his clothes, noting that Elizabeth observed him through her beautiful half-open eyes. Once Darcy was as naked as she was, he joined her on the bed.

-o-o-o-o-

On Sunday, they were expected at Longbourn Street for lunch, but found time for a quick last swim in the morning before they hit the road. Jane had taken a train from Chicago the day before, but they would be driving her back on Monday.

They arrived, around noon, at the Bennet house. When Elizabeth unlocked the door with the key she still carried, it seemed deserted, although there were voices coming from the back yard. Darcy offered to deposit their luggage upstairs while she greeted her family, but she was determined to walk in together and they each carried a bag to her childhood room.

When they stepped out onto the back porch, it was to an odd sight. Croquet had been set up on the grass and the youngest Bennets appeared to be playing in a civilized manner. This was not to last long, however. When Kitty looked up to wave to her sister and brother-in-law, Lydia bent down and moved a ball. Upon looking back at the game, Kitty noticed the change and accused her sister of cheating, which did not go over well. Soon, mallets were flung aside and the two teenage girls were hurling unrelated insults and the occasional slap at one another.

Elizabeth sighed, apparently it was just another day at the Bennet house after all. She hugged her parents and unoccupied sisters in greeting while her husband got them drinks. They stood around for some time, catching up with one another. While Dr. Bennet was not friendly to Darcy, he seemed to have gotten better, for his daughter's sake, at tolerating the man.

They had a pleasant lunch, after which it was time for Elizabeth to open her presents. She received a hand-knit sweater from her mother, a bottle of perfume from Jane, and some bath salts from Kitty and Lydia. Dr. Bennet and Mary each gave her a book, fiction and non-fiction respectively, and Elizabeth thanked them all in turn, feeling a bit guilty for having mailed Lydia's present when her birthday had occurred that summer instead of making a trip in person. However, she suspected that the gift card she had given her sister had likely been instrumental in obtaining the rose-scented product she had just unwrapped.

She saved her husband's present for last. It was small and rectangular and was very likely jewelry. After peeling off the paper, she saw the name of the boutique jewelry shop near Pemberley, it made her smile. Darcy had admitted that he had never visited that store before their wedding day, he had not even noticed its existence, but she guessed that it might now be a favorite.

Upon opening the small box, she saw a strand of pearls perfectly uniform in size and beautifully smooth and round. It was clearly of a much higher quality than the one she had seen in the department store when shopping for Georgiana. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked up at Darcy with wide, wet eyes.

"I bought it before you even asked for that other set, I promise, it is why I reacted the way I did." When she failed to respond, he went on nervously. "I have the receipt if you do not believe - "

Darcy was unable to finish his sentence because she had launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. He held her close, but was concerned about her excessively emotional response to the piece of jewelry. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

She pulled her face away from him and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry I got so mad before, about those pearls at the mall. I should have known you weren't too cheap to buy them for me, that's not like you at all." She kissed him on the lips and smiled, her tears ceasing as suddenly as they had begun.

"No, Elizabeth, I am sorry. Of course I did not want you to have inferior quality merchandise, but I could have handled the situation better, myself. Shall we just forget it ever happened?" She nodded and turned to face away from him, handing over the necklace so he could fasten it about her throat.

She could not help but notice, as she turned around, that her entire family was regarding her intently. Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment at her public display of emotion and affection. Still, after Darcy had fastened the strand of pearls, she turned back around so that she could snuggle into his side.

"Thank you all for a wonderful birthday. I think this has been the best one ever."

-o-o-o-o-

That night, when the couple retired in Elizabeth's childhood bedroom, Darcy did his best not to make Elizabeth feel uncomfortable and slid into bed beside her wearing a full set of pajamas. He was not surprised when she put her arm across his chest, but was surprised when that arm began to move lower. It took all of his willpower to ask if she was sure.

"We're married and they've had time to get used to it now. Remember though, we have to be quiet." She applied her mouth to his, silencing him quite thoroughly as her other hand joined in the action, sliding along his side beneath his pajama top.

There was a lot of rustling and no small amount of muffled moaning, but they managed to undress beneath the sheets and come together in a marital embrace.

-o-o-o-o-

On the morning of Labor Day, the happy couple was still sleeping when their bedroom door opened. The perpetrator was not quiet.

"Ew! Mom, Lizzy's having sex!"

Elizabeth awoke with a start. It took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings. She was naked in bed with her husband, which was not an unusual occurrence and she was in a fairly familiar place, her childhood bedroom, but the combination of the two was certainly unique. Blinking the sleep away, she saw that the covers had shifted in such a way as to leave no mystery as to their lack of clothing and the door had been left open. She pulled the sheet up to cover them and looked about for her pajamas, but saw that they had been flung out of her reach. She would either have to wait until someone came by to hand them to her, brave exposure to get them herself, or wrap up in the sheet and leave Darcy uncovered in order to close the door or reach them.

As she tried to readjust the sheet and reach for the blanket to buy herself some time, Darcy came awake as well. "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" He asked hoarsely and leaned toward her for a kiss, which Elizabeth allowed but did not respond to in her agitated state.

"I think Lydia's been in here this morning; she left the door open."

"Why would she do such a thing?"

"That's easy, she has no respect for anyone else's privacy, the better question is: why is she up so early?"

Elizabeth's question was never answered, before long all four of her sisters had congregated in the bedroom doorway.

"What's going on?" Jane asked, looking from Lydia to Elizabeth. Always the peacekeeper, she wanted to avoid a fuss.

Inconveniently, a fuss was apparently exactly what Lydia wanted to make. "What's going on is that I can't even kiss a guy without getting super grounded and Lizzy can slut it up right here in the house!"

Darcy looked very much like he wanted to respond, but Elizabeth gave him a look that he knew was meant to stay his tongue, so he obeyed and let her speak.

"We just need a minute to become presentable. Jane, could you close the door, please?"

Jane did so and it was barely minutes before the door was opened again, the couple now clad in their respectable nightwear.

"Now, can we talk about this like adults?" Neither Mary nor Kitty had spoken a word up to this point, but they both nodded their agreement at her request. "Lydia, I don't know what terms Dad set on your parole, but if you disregarded them, of course he has to punish you. Also, I don't appreciate you suggesting that there is anything wrong with sleeping with my husband."

"Whatever!" The teenager spun on her heel and stormed off, stomping down the stairs as she applied for asylum with her mother, who had just begun to make French Toast.

Kitty soon explained to her that Lydia had been caught kissing George Wickham the month before and had, as a result, had her punishment extended.

Elizabeth had never before seen the thunderous expression that then appeared on Darcy's face. His eyes bugged out incredulously and now it was he who stomped down the stairs.

-o-o-o-o-

When Elizabeth entered the kitchen a few minutes later, she heard arguing coming from her father's study. She easily recognized the voices as belonging to her two favorite men.

"How dare you come in here, molest my daughter, and accuse me of bad parenting."

"If it is not bad parenting, then it is no parenting at all. Your youngest daughter is completely without discipline!" Elizabeth was grateful that her husband had chosen to disregard her father's baseless accusation regarding herself. "Somehow, you seem to have missed the fact that she has been consorting with a wanted criminal."

"What right do you have to criticize my discipline in this matter? To my notice, you are hardly different than Wickham, having each imposed upon one of my daughters." The accusation was enough to make Darcy step backward in surprise and anger.

Elizabeth could take no more and burst into the room, furious. "How could you say a thing like that, Dad? Wickham is a despicable child molester and Darcy is the best man I have ever known!"

Dr. Bennet regarded her red satin pajamas and the strand of pearls she still wore. "He kidnapped you, as much as Wickham kidnapped your sister."

"Don't be ridiculous, he didn't kidnap me, we eloped."

"You were barely together for two months before he took you away from us, from me."

Elizabeth could see that they were getting to the crux of the matter, now. She tried to understand her father's frustration at losing her and took a deep breath, attempting to speak as calmly as possible. "The differences between my situation and Lydia's are too many to mention, but the key one is that I am a consenting adult."

Her father's face flinched a bit as the concept of to what she was consenting flashed through his mind. "Lizzy, you must see how he took advantage of you, how he is buying you off." His eyes flicked to her necklace again and his voice had taken on a pleading tone.

Before Elizabeth could refute him, however, Darcy re-entered the conversation. "I fear you do not know your daughter at all, Sir, if you think for a moment that she could be bought." His voice boomed with anger and his wife knew that it was time for them to leave. She took him by the arm and pulled him from the room, turning back over her shoulder to have the last word.

"I thought you'd improved, but I guess not. Goodbye, Dad. When you're ready to get along, you know where to find me."

She ran upstairs to the bedroom with Darcy hot on her heels. They dressed quickly and packed their things. Elizabeth went to talk to Jane while her husband put the bags in the car.

-o-o-o-o-

"Leave now? You can't be serious!" Mrs. Bennet's voice grew in pitch.

"I'm sorry, Mom, you know how holiday traffic can be and we don't want to get back too late, Darcy has to work tomorrow and I have an appointment with my academic adviser, remember?"

"I don't know why you're insisting on going back to school when you've got a husband to take care of you, but you've always been a bit of an odd duck." She hugged her daughter and her son-in-law and although the latter was obviously uncomfortable with the contact, he dutifully returned the embrace. She then turned to Jane and wrung her hands for a bit over losing yet another daughter to The Windy City before hugging her as well.

They arrived home in the early evening after dropping Jane at the Gardiners' house. The holiday traffic had been as bad as Elizabeth had claimed when making her excuses. She wanted nothing more that night than to cuddle with her husband and try to forget the altercation with her father.

She got at least half of her wish. That evening, Richard stayed for dinner and the four of them watched a movie and ordered a pizza. Elizabeth smiled, glad to be a part of a functional family.


	61. Chapter 61

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

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_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 97% intact despite certain subject matter :)_

_[ For those of you who have been reading the M-rated version of this story and / or my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - 10, posted last week) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed for the update page so that you can find out about things as I post them there. If the feed thing doesn't work for you, there is also now a mailing list. I will endeavor to remember to mention new _Scottish Air_ chapters here as long as this story continues, but if you want to read it, eventually that will be the only way to find out when they are posted. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

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_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 61**

_Tuesday 4 September- Friday 14 September_

The next day, Elizabeth met with an adviser about the pursuit of her MBA. She scheduled her classes heavily three days a week so that she could be completely free on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Finished in the early afternoon, she went to the Gardiners' house to visit for a few hours before trying to beat the rush hour traffic home. Her aunt was taking a much deserved nap, so Elizabeth played with the baby and talked to Jane once Helen had fallen asleep.

"Have you decided when you'll move in with Charles?"

"I don't know, he wants me to now, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet."

"You're willing to marry him but not to live with him?"

"I'm not marrying him right away you know, these things take time - well, they usually do." She raised an eyebrow in teasing, but her tone was light and Elizabeth could tell that she spoke with no malice.

"It seemed to me like Mom has the wedding preparations well under way. What's the date?"

"We haven't officially set one yet; we wanted to check with you guys, you know, being the best man and maid, or rather matron of honor, we need to make sure you can be there; but we were thinking about some time in April or May."

"I hope it's not too selfish of me to ask you to do it in April." At her sister's questioning look, Elizabeth explained. "Darcy and I got married in May and I think we're really going to do that big fancy vow renewal ceremony on our first anniversary, you know to appease the people who missed our wedding - that is, everybody."

"Oh, Lizzy, that's such a great idea. April it is, and we'll be sure to be done with our honeymoon in time for your event."

"I don't know if we'll get much of a honeymoon, it's right in the middle of the spring quarter. We thought about doing it in June instead, but our first anniversary just feels right."

"I'm sure you can miss a class or two."

Elizabeth allowed that it might be a possibility and returned the subject to her sister's wedding, which they discussed for some time before Elizabeth changed the subject.

"Speaking of weddings, are you going to Charlotte's?"

"Yes, Charles and I are both going. Do you think it's weird that they're having it in New York instead of Ann Arbor?"

"That's where they live."

"I know, but weddings are traditionally hosted by the bride's family. Mom is pretty annoyed that we want to have ours in Chicago. She thinks I'm trying to take it away from her, like you did." Jane clasped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Lizzy, I didn't mean -"

"I know what you meant, Jane, it's okay. Mom is pretty good at making everything about her. At least she doesn't have her panties in a bunch about the fact that I'm married at all like Dad does. I just don't know what's wrong with him, I really thought he was getting along better with my husband. Anyway, back to Charlotte; did she ask you to be a bridesmaid?"

"No, you?"

"No. It's weird. I mean, I know she has other friends, but I always figured we were pretty close. I admit, I had expected to be asked. Anyway, I guess we'll see when we get there. It will be nice to spend less time with Bill though, he'd be harder to avoid in the wedding party."

Jane laughed, then looked ashamed of herself for agreeing.

-o-o-o-o-

Later that afternoon, Elizabeth left to catch the train headed downtown. She had left after her husband that morning and chose public transit, hoping that they could drive home together when he finished work.

It was strange to be entering Pemberley as a guest instead of an employee. She stopped at the front desk to sign in since she no longer had an ID badge that would let her through the glass doors.

"Hi Abby!" She greeted the receptionist brightly. Although they had not exactly been friends over the summer, they had developed a rapport. "How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you, Mrs. Darcy, how are you?" The woman's tone was friendly yet professional. It made Elizabeth stop short to be addressed so formally, especially since she had not legally changed her name. The only person who used that particular title was Mrs. Reynolds.

"I'm doing well, I guess. What happened to 'Lizzy'? You always called me that before."

"It just seemed appropriate, you being married to the boss and all. I'm sorry, I can go back to Lizzy if you prefer." She looked genuinely apologetic and Elizabeth laughed out loud to break the tension.

"You can call me whatever makes you comfortable, but I'm still the same person I was this summer. It doesn't matter whom I married, I'm not your boss and I like to think we're friends." She may have overstated their relationship, but it mattered little, her point was clear. "Or I can switch to calling you 'Miss Eckert' if you'd like." She arched an eyebrow questioningly and the receptionist understood her meaning and smiled.

"No, Abby and Lizzy are fine, I just think I won't say it in front of Mr. Darcy, he's a little . . . "

"Intimidating?"

"You said it, not me. Anyway, speaking of the big boss, are you here to see him?"

"Yes, could you buzz me in?"

Abby agreed, of course, and smiled in a more relaxed manner than she had at first.

Elizabeth pressed the elevator call button and hoped that nobody else she encountered would feel the need to treat her differently now. Even if they had mostly known over the summer, the fact that they had pretended as if they did not had been a blessing, she realized. Her internship would have been an entirely different experience as Mrs. Darcy.

-o-o-o-o-

"Hi, Tracy." Elizabeth greeted, as she stood outside her husband's office. She did not know his personal assistant very well, they had met few times. She did know, however, that Darcy had not liked a single one of her temporary replacements during her months of maternity leave and he was grateful to have her back at work. "Is the boss in his office?"

"Yes, he's on the phone right now, but I'll let you know when he's done." She gestured to a chair. "You can sit down if you want, I don't know how long he will be."

The woman returned to typing on her computer, so Elizabeth pulled a book out of her bag to amuse herself in the meantime. She stole periodic glances at the clear glass that looked into Darcy's office, but he was speaking on the telephone and looking at the computer screen and did not see her sitting there. When a red light on the phone on Tracy's desk went out the assistant, ever vigilant informed Elizabeth that he was done on the phone.

"Should I let him know you're here?" She barely managed to say before her phone rang. She picked it up immediately. "Yes, Sir?" There was a pause and Elizabeth could see Darcy through the window, looking directly at her as he spoke on the phone to his assistant. "Of course, Mr. Darcy." Tracy said before hanging up the handset and addressing Elizabeth. "You can go right in."

"Thank you." Elizabeth went into the large office and closed the door behind her.

"Hello, Sweetheart. This is a pleasant surprise." Darcy rose and kissed her as she moved close to his desk. It began with a peck on the lips, but as they began to pull apart, an urge seized him and he kissed her more deeply. She gave in for several moments before recalling the window that separated his office from his assistant's and pulled back, gesturing toward the opening.

"People can see us."

"Nobody is looking." He kissed her again, and this time she did not stop him until they were both in need of air. "How was your day, Elizabeth?" He sat on the leather couch and pulled her down beside him, keeping his arm around her to hold her close.

"It was fine, I talked with my adviser. The program should take me seven quarters, so I'll be done right after our second anniversary." Suddenly it hit her how expensive her educational venture would be. "Are you sure about me doing this, being in school for so long, having no income? I know that money is no big deal with you, but it's the principle of the thing. Maybe I should get a job for a while first. I always thought that I would - "

He stopped her worries with yet another kiss. "Elizabeth, I want you to do whatever makes you happy. If you are tired of being a student, you do not have to attend school immediately. If, however, you prefer to earn your MBA right away, allow nothing to stop you. Money is absolutely no object You know that I love you and support whatever decision you make." He looked into her eyes as if searching.

Elizabeth smiled and snuggled closer to him. "I have no idea what I did to deserve such a wonderful guy, but I'm eternally grateful. I love you too, Fitzwilliam."

They sat like that for several minutes before the telephone rang. Darcy sighed and stood to answer it. The call was brief and soon he hung up and turned to his wife. "It's five o'clock. Tracy just wanted to let me know she is leaving for the day. I assume you need a ride home."

"How did you guess?"

"Because I know you." Darcy picked up her bag and held his hand out to her, which she took as she rose from the couch. They walked to the parking lot hand in hand and he relished the freedom he now had to hold her door open as she climbed into the passenger seat of his car in full view of whatever employees happened by them.

-o-o-o-o-

The rest of that week and the next were fairly uneventful. Elizabeth spent her time putting finishing touches on the master bedroom - arranging it to her satisfaction and setting up her new office down the hall. She also made an effort most days to visit with Jane and the Gardiners, knowing that her time would be more limited once she started classes.

On the Friday before Charlotte's wedding, Darcy and Bingley both took the day off from work, a luxury of being their own bosses, and the two couples left for New York in the morning. Jane had never before flown first class and Elizabeth smiled at her sister's amazement, still becoming used to the luxury herself.

Upon arrival, they were picked up by a limousine service and taken straight to the Waldorf Astoria where they checked into two luxury suites on the same floor. Elizabeth had assumed they would stay in the hotel where the reception was being held, but upon hearing its name and location, her husband had immediately booked the fancier accommodations and hired a car and driver for the weekend. Either Bingley agreed with his assessment or was just along for the ride, but Elizabeth was glad to have her sister nearby.

After unpacking and hanging up their clothes for the next day, the foursome went to lunch and the Museum of Modern Art, where Elizabeth had never been. Jane was a bit disappointed to miss the Met, but Bingley promised to take her on Sunday and the other couple agreed to join them.

That evening, Darcy and Bingley had dinner together while their ladies attended Charlotte's bachelorette party.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth and Jane took the hired car to meet Charlotte at her more affordable hotel. They were the first to arrive and found Charlotte and her sister Maria moving things about the room. A full bar was already set up in one corner and there was a large open area surrounded by chairs. The women all hugged in greeting, then the newcomers looked around.

"Oh my God, Char, you're not getting a stripper, are you?"

"Of course I am, what fun is a bachelorette party without naked men?"

Elizabeth stole a look at Maria, who was the same age as Lydia and Georgiana. "I'm not sure that' entirely appropriate for all audiences."

"Maria won't tell our mom, will you?" The teenager shook her head. "Besides, they won't go full nude and she's seen worse on the internet. The kids all have these days."

Jane poured herself a drink and brought one over for Charlotte. "Did you plan your own party, Char? You shouldn't have to do that."

"Well, Maria's my bridesmaid, I'm only having one, but she can't book a stripper or order booze, so I did it myself; no big deal."

"I wish you'd said something. Lizzy and I could've taken care of things for you. You know we would have."

"Really, you would've gotten me a stripper?" Charlotte raised one eyebrow and Jane blushed.

"Of - of course, if that's what you want, which it clearly is. Um, yeah." She could not think of much else to say, so she looked at her sister expectantly.

"Who else is coming?" Elizabeth asked, she saw several more chairs than expected.

"Just some friends from work, I think you'll like them; and you know Anne."

"Anne DeBourgh, really? I didn't know you two were friends."

"Well, Ms. DeBourgh has taken a special interest in Bill's career, so we get invited to their house for dinner a couple of times a month, occasionally more. I talk with them about law of course, but Anne always seems so lonely, so I made an effort to get to know her. She's actually a really interesting person. You know, she runs the Fitzwilliam Foundation, which is a multi-million dollar charity for education and the arts."

"I know, Darcy's one of the trustees." Elizabeth was aware of the charity, but did not know much detail. Actually, working at its Chicago office had been one of her husband's suggestions when she had been unsure of going back to school so soon. She had not felt sure about working under a woman who may or may not still harbor crush on him, even long distance.

There was still time before the other women were meant to join them, so Elizabeth and Jane used the time to catch up with their friend.

"I can hardly believe that by this time tomorrow, I'll be Mrs. Collins!" Charlotte was almost vibrating with excitement.

"Are you going to change your name?" Elizabeth was surprised. Charlotte seemed to her to be a progressive, independent person.

"I always thought I would, if I got married young enough. If I was older and had established myself professionally or something first, I might feel differently, but I've been with DeBourgh & Associates less than a year and I don't really have long-term clients yet. Plus, I'll be his wife far longer than not and I want to have the same last name as my kids."

"Are you pregnant?"

"What? Don't be crazy, Eliza. Do you think I'd be irresponsible enough to drink if I was?" She took a large sip from the Manhattan Jane had mixed for her as if to prove her statement.

Elizabeth immediately apologized for the assumption, recalling how annoying it was when people said that to her, then went to fix her own drink, impressed by the myriad of options at the small bar. She made a Whiskey Sour as her sister joined the conversation.

"It hadn't even occurred to me not to change my name." Jane admitted. "I mean, I know Elizabeth didn't and that's a valid choice," she smiled in a way her sister suspected might be midly patronizing, "but I can't imagine being married to Charles and not being Mrs. Bingley."

Dropping heavily into a chair, Elizabeth sighed. "Do you guys think I'm being unreasonable keeping my name? My educational and employment records say "Bennet" and it seems like such a hassle to change everything."

"It's a hassle either way, that's the price of being a woman in a patriarchal society." Charlotte pointed out to her. "Someday, if you have kids, they'll be named Darcy."

"That's true," Elizabeth mused, "but it would be weird to work at Pemberley if I share his last name and hard to get a job elsewhere in the same industry, since he's pretty well-known in the business world."

"I'm not sure there's any right answer, Lizzy." Jane soothed her. "You're going back to school soon though and you have to think about what name you want on that diploma, if you are going to change your name eventually anyway, you might as well do it sooner rather than later."

"That hadn't occurred to me." Elizabeth frowned in thought.

"How does Darcy feel about the whole thing?" Charlotte asked.

"You know, he hasn't mentioned it. I think he's trying to let it be my decision. He got me credit cards and a new checkbook and everything with my maiden name, I mean my real name, I mean Elizabeth Bennet."

They both smiled at her confusion and the subject was dropped because there was a knock at the door.

When Jane rose to answer it, Elizabeth noticed Maria, sitting on the bed reading a magazine and sipping a glass of wine. She had almost completely forgotten about the teenager's presence but upon noticing the alcohol in the girl's hand, she pointed it out to Charlotte who scoffed at the problem.

"I told her she could have one or two. As long as she doesn't leave the room, I'm not worried about her."

Elizabeth was less sure of the self-control possessed by any friend of Lydia's and after being introduced to the four women who had just come in, co-workers of Charlotte's, she asked Jane to help her keep the teenager from drinking too much that night.

Anne showed up soon after and Elizabeth hugged her awkwardly. They were family of a sort, she supposed, and it would be best if they could get along despite any issues she had with the woman's aunt and former guardian. Not long after her arrival, there was another knock on the door. It opened to reveal two burly police officers. Well, men dressed as police officers in very tight uniforms already unbuttoned at the neck; one carried a boom box. It was a cliché to be sure, but nobody seemed to mind and the men were invited into the room.

Soon, music was blaring and everyone was dancing. The men were fully clothed when doing a bit of a bump and grind with the guests but as their shirts came off, the women began to sit down to enjoy the show.

Both Jane and Elizabeth watched Maria, The girl was constantly getting herself a drink but was never able to have more than a few sips before it would be taken away from her by one of the Bennet sisters. Neither woman noticed how much they were consuming by finishing so many of Maria's beverages in addition to their own, but by the time the men were down to g-strings, both were giggling at the slightest provocation and unable to sit fully upright.

When the dance was done and the strippers were collecting their clothes. Elizabeth found herself aroused. The men were undeniably attractive, but she had no desire to touch them as some of Charlotte's work friends had tried to do. Instead, seeing these muscular, shiny men had made her lust for her own man; less bulging with vanity muscles but still strong and fit, with a far more masculine amount of hair upon his chest.

Comparing Darcy so favorably to these men who got paid to take their clothes off suddenly struck Elizabeth as funny and she began laughing uncontrollably as the small crowd began to dissipate. Eventually it was time to go, and she began searching her pockets for her cell phone. Once she found it, she looked at it curiously for a while before Charlotte took it from her and found the proper number, informing the driver that his passengers were ready to be picked up. She then helped them into their sweaters and sent them down to the lobby with Anne DeBourgh.

Anne had not expected such a fun evening. Having lived a sheltered life, she had never before seen a stripper and reveled in the new experience. She could certainly not tell her Aunt Catherine about this evening. Once she saw the drunken Bennet sisters into their limo, she climbed into her own chauffeured vehicle to return home.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth and Jane entered the hotel from Park Avenue giggling and leaning on each other for support. They managed to remember their floor, but not their room numbers, and each woman pulled a still-in-the-sleeve keycard from her sweater pocket to discover where to go. After loudly whispering goodnight and fumbling with their respective locks, both managed to enter their suites.

Elizabeth squinted in the darkness, trying to orient herself, before she saw the doorway to the bedroom, which had been left open. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her clothes about the room as she went.

It was too dark to be fully sure, but the man in the bed did not seem at all roused by her less than quiet entrance. His form was still and turned to the side, so Elizabeth crept into bed behind him, wrapping, her arms around his bare chest. She snuggled into him and let one hand meander down toward the drawstring of his pajama pants. She heard a deep groan and froze, it sounded wrong.

Suddenly, even through her drunken haze, she realized that he felt wrong too. The back in front of her was not as broad as the one she knew so well and although there was hair beneath her hand on his torso, it was sparser than it should be. Even in Elizabeth's half-functioning mind, this was clearly not right and she pulled back, struggling to sit up even as her head was spinning.

The man beside her sat up as well. "Jane, honey, are you alright?" He asked, turning on the light.

Elizabeth squealed and reached for the sheet, which was tangled around his legs and she did not manage to cover herself completely before she was illuminated before the man in bed with her.

Bingley blinked once, his eyes widening in surprise before he clapped his hand over them. "Elizabeth! What are you doing here?"

"I, um, must've switched Jane with keys - I, ah - keys with Jane!" She yanked frantically at the sheet, trying to get enough available fabric to fully cover herself. The jostling managed to free the bedclothes but knocked Bingley to the floor in the process. Wrapping the sheet around herself, Elizabeth looked over the edge of the bed. "You okay? Whoa!" She leaned back again, her stomach and head both made uneasy by the quick movement.

"I'm fine, just a little surprised. Okay, a lot surprised."

"You can look now." Her words were slurred but understandable and Bingley rose to his feet, peeking between his fingers to make sure she was decent before he acquiesced and put down his hands.

"I'll be right back." He hurried to the bathroom and returned with a plush white robe which he held out as he squeezed his eyes shut again. If it was wrong to see his best friend's wife naked, it was doubly wrong to see his future sister-in-law that way. Besides, he did not want her to be any more embarrassed in the morning than absolutely necessary.

Soon, Elizabeth was covered by the robe and Bingley had his eyes open again. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." He volunteered. "That'll be Jane or Darcy."

It turned out to be both of them and although they had their arms around each other, they were both dressed; Darcy, in his pajamas of course. From the way Jane was leaning into her brother-in-law, it was obvious that she was as drunk as her sister and relying on his support to remain upright.

"Hey, my sweater!" Elizabeth cried out, pointing at her sister as she stumbled out of the bedroom clutching the robe together in the front. She had been unable, in her state, to figure out the belt.

"Might I propose a trade?" Darcy asked dryly, looking from his undressed wife to his half-dressed friend.

Bingley did not reply, but gently took Elizabeth by the arm and led her over to the doorway, where he untangled Jane from Darcy and steadied her with an arm about her waist. Elizabeth, glad to see her husband, opened her arms to hug him.

"Fitzwilliam!" She cried, exposing herself as the robe gaped open. He gathered her against his body, glad that she had been facing only him.

"May I ask how she ended up dressed in such a manner - or undressed as the case may be?" He addressed the other man.

"I gave her the robe after I woke up and found her in bed with me, naked." He looked around the room, seeing various articles of Elizabeth's clothing between the door to the hall and the bedroom. "I closed my eyes, I swear."

"I am sure you did. We will see you in the morning." Darcy rolled his eyes and led Elizabeth out the door. "Come on, Sweetheart." She stumbled and he swept her up into his arms, eliciting a squeal of surprise.

-o-o-o-o-

Soon, they were behind the locked door of their own suite. Darcy placed Elizabeth on the couch and sat beside her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened tonight, Elizabeth?" He attempted to adopt a stern expression, but he could not help smiling at the sight of her, still exposed slightly by the open robe.

Her words came out strung together in one long breath. "There's strippers and booze and I was horny but then Charles ."

"Strippers?" He tried not to get off track at either that mention or her uncharacteristic use of such and undignified word as 'horny'. "What happened with Charles?" Darcy trusted his friend but had a great need to find out how his wife had managed to get completely naked with the other man.

"You more handsome than policemen and I want you so took off clothes and got in bed but then it's all wrong and he gave me robe." She finally paused for a breath. "You still love me?"

"Of course I still love you, Eliz - oh!" He was unable to finish his sentence when she lunged at him, covering his mouth with her own. Her kiss was sloppy and tasted of alcohol, but still he returned it.

The part of Darcy that had been raised a gentleman wanted to pull away; to not take advantage of Elizabeth in her inebriated state. Every other part of him fought back and it was a supreme struggle to do as the gentleman in him demanded. He stood up. "Elizabeth," he gasped, "you're not thinking clearly, we should not . . ." Again, he was unable to complete his thought when she shrugged out of the robe.

"But want you" The request was clear.

He never could deny her anything, and so acquiesced to her demand.

Afterward, Darcy pulled himself to a sitting position, then went to help his wife up as well, only to find her totally limp. She had fallen asleep so he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, hoping that she would not be too upset with him in the morning for not having restraint.

_[P.S. - I do realize what date this particular situation abuts and it is unfortunate timing for them to go to New York, but I started working on this story a really long time ago (as I think I said in my introductory post) and it was before certain events that changed the course of American history. Of course, I only had about twenty chapters or so when I set it aside for nearly a decade, but I continued from where I had left off with no thought to any current events (of the time). These particular dates worked into my timeline, so I kept them this way, although I think I will start taking away years from my timestamps, since they do not matter anyway. The only reason I keep them there is because my characters have established birthdays that I have in a spreadsheet and it is nice to help me remember how old everybody is.]_


	62. Chapter 62

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-62

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is over 99% intact, I think I just modified a few words / phrases._

_[ For those of you who have been reading the M-rated version of this story and / or my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**11**__, posted some time ago) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed for the update page so that you can find out about things as I post them there. If the feed thing doesn't work for you, there is also now a mailing list. I will endeavor to remember to mention new _Scottish Air_ chapters here as long as this story continues, but if you want to read it, eventually that will be the only way to find out when they are posted. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 62**

_Saturday 15 September - Sunday 16 September_

It was a good thing that the wedding was not until late in the day because Elizabeth was unable to drag herself out of bed until eleven o'clock, at which point she ran to the bathroom, vomited, rinsed her mouth, and went immediately back to bed.

Darcy, reading a newspaper in the sitting room, jumped up when he heard the toilet flush. He saw Elizabeth getting back into bed and moved slowly toward her. "How are you feeling this morning, Sweetheart?"

"Better, now. My God, how much did I drink last night?"

"I have no way of knowing, you arrived here already intoxicated."

"I'm starting to remember something - oh crap! Did Charles see me naked?"

"He claims he did not and you were wearing a robe when I arrived."

Elizabeth groaned, and pulled the covers up over her head. "Crap, I think I groped him. How will I look him in the eye today?"

At her admission, Darcy's brow furrowed. "Why would you touch . . ."

"I thought he was you, okay!" She emerged from her hiding place beneath the comforter and pulled herself to a sitting position, blinking as images of the night before came rushing back to her. "I was drunk and all raring to go. I went into the room my key opened - except it turned out to be Jane's key - and I took my clothes off and I got into bed with my sister's fiancé - ugh, it sounds even worse when I say it out loud. I touched him and he didn't feel right, but I wasn't really thinking straight, then he turned the light on . . . I don't know whether he actually saw anything, he did cover up his eyes awfully quickly. He fell off the bed and gave me a robe. Oh my God, can you ever forgive me?" She buried her face in her hands as she shook it from side to side.

"Don't you think you are being a little overly dramatic, Elizabeth? You made a drunken mistake without any real consequences. I think that will be quite forgivable. It is not as though you meant to seduce Charles."

"I wasn't really in a state to seduce anyone." She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes in mortification, recalling what happened later the previous night. "I can hardly believe you gave in." She snickered briefly and lay back down, not noticing the guilty look that took over his face.

"I am so sorry for that, Sweetheart."

"For what?" Elizabeth did not understand why he was always apologizing for things she felt needed no apology.

"For taking advantage of you in that state."

"When I threw myself at you?" She looked genuinely confused.

"You were drunk and not yourself." He looked so unnecessarily contrite that she just had to kiss him.

When she pulled back, she was smiling, despite her headache. "Fitzwilliam, you're my husband and I wanted you. I know you would respect my wishes if I said 'no', but I didn't. You need to stop being so hard on yourself all the time. How can you feel so guilty over what happened when I was obviously willing?"

"Because you were unconscious, that is undeniably wrong."

"What? No I wasn't, I remember it. I mean, not well or anything, but I was definitely awake."

"When we started, you were, but . . ." He could not look her in the eye and although she tried, Elizabeth could not help but laugh out loud, stopping when she realized it hurt her head. She held his hands with her own.

"Okay, here are some ground rules to keep you from being all ridiculously and unnecessarily sorry in the future: No means no, yes means yes; as long as I'm awake when we start, it's okay to finish; and no trying anything new if I'm not of sound mind to agree to it."

Darcy looked at her incredulously. "Elizabeth, I would never -"

"I know, I trust you and I love you. By the way, what happened when Jane showed up drunk in our room?"

"It was not nearly as eventful as your situation, I assure you." Elizabeth emitted a giggle at his dry tone. "I was reading on the couch with the light on when she came in so there were no mistaken identities. She almost fell into my lap then used the bathroom before we came to the other room."

"Well, that is less funny, I guess not everything can be a laugh. Anyway, I think we still have a wedding to attend today, so as much as I'd like to spend the rest of the day in bed, I think I have to get up and get ready. Would you like to join me in the shower? I'm totally sober now, if a little hung over."

Her husband did not answer her with words, but with actions. Soon, they were together beneath a fall of hot water.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth was in her robe when the room phone rang. Darcy picked it up and spoke briefly before handing it to her. "Jane wants to talk to you," he explained.

"Janey, hi. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Not awesome, you?" Her sister responded.

"About the same. Look, I'm sorry about what happened last night -"

"You groping Charles?" Jane could not keep the amusement from her voice. "He's pretty embarrassed about it too, Lizzy. How about we keep that story just among the four of us?"

"I totally agree. So, do you want to get lunch or something?"

"Yes, but that won't be just the four of us; Mom called."

"Damn, after the long drive they had, I was hoping they would sleep in until the wedding."

"No such luck. They are up and want to join us for lunch. I tried to call your cell phone, but your purse is still here - along with your clothes from yesterday."

"Right, well, give me ten minutes to get dressed and we'll come to your room, I can get it then." Elizabeth hung up the phone and addressed her husband. "We're having lunch with my family."

"I was hoping they wouldn't make it." He mumbled under his breath as he headed for the closet

"Fitzwilliam, be nice!"

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart."

"Look, I know they annoy you, they annoy me too sometimes, but they're still my family and I love them, no matter how ridiculous they are." She felt a big guilty due to her similar sentiment, expressed only moments earlier, but could not bring herself to admit it.

Darcy looked genuinely contrite. "Of course, Elizabeth, I apologize for upsetting you, I am happy to have lunch with your parents and sisters today."

"I know you're not, but I appreciate the pretense. You don't have to talk much to them, Charles will be there."

He just stopped himself from expressing his relief aloud and went about getting ready.

-o-o-o-o-

The Bennets had left home the afternoon before and arrived in New York in the middle of the night. Elizabeth thought it seemed silly to drive almost twelve hours just to spend a day and a half in the city, but she refrained from commenting on that when they met for lunch. Apparently it was important to her family that they attend this wedding. Either that, she supposed, or her youngest sisters would not shut up about a trip to New York until their father agreed; which was more likely the case.

Whatever the motivation, they were there now, and the large group met at a restaurant for lunch. Dr. Bennet was, predictably, silent while the female members of his family could not stop talking. The younger girls had gotten new dresses for the occasion and Mrs. Bennet was excited by the prospect of all the "handsome, successful lawyers" that they could meet that day.

"Lydia's only sixteen," Elizabeth pointed out, "and isn't she still grounded?"

"Oh it's been so long!" Her mother exclaimed "The poor dear's been bored, so she's not anymore."

"She's supposed to be bored, that's the point." Elizabeth insisted through teeth gritted in annoyance, exacerbated by her persistent hangover headache.

"Don't be a bitch, Lizzy!" Lydia tried to kick her nosy sister under the table, but instead bruised the shin of her brother-in-law.

Feeling the blow and knowing for whom it was meant, Darcy sucked in a bit of air sharply and grabbed his wife's hand, supporting her emotionally as she tried to shake off the annoyance she clearly felt.

Nobody seemed disappointed when lunch was over. Darcy paid after arguing a bit with Bingley over who would pick up the check; Dr. Bennet never offered. They returned to their respective hotels to dress for the wedding.

-o-o-o-o-

Once back at the Waldorf, Elizabeth handed Darcy his garment bag and exiled him from their suite. Meanwhile, Jane arrived at the door laden with bags of her own so the two sisters could prepare together.

Once the door was shut behind him, Darcy trudged down the hall and joined Bingley in his suite, where the other man was already watching a football game. As they would take far less time to prepare than their respective ladies, they spent the extra time wondering what two such naturally beautiful women could possibly be doing to fill up the hours.

Down the hall, much giggling was taking place. Elizabeth and Jane had not done each other's hair for years, and they were having fun. Although the men in their lives would have happily paid for professional styling and manicures, instead the women delighted in selecting colors and taking turns applying polish to each other's nails. The wedding was to be formal and, Elizabeth expected, pretentious, so their dresses were elegant. Elizabeth chose to wear the black designer gown that Darcy had gifted her on their first weekend together as newlyweds, although he had offered to buy her a new one, and Jane put on the blue dress she had worn the night she got engaged. They sorted out their jewelry, purses, and wraps before calling the other suite to announce their readiness.

Although it had taken considerable time to get ready, they were still well within their allotment, and Bingley was still fastening his cufflinks while Darcy knocked on the door. Elizabeth answered it, smiling beatifically, and her husband gaped at her.

She was always beautiful but today, she looked resplendent. Her new pearl necklace was perfect around her slender neck. The dress, he had seen before of course, but that did not stop him from appreciating the way that the cut drew attention to her ample cleavage without showing too much for company. Most of her hair was piled atop her head, but several curly tendrils floated free, just begging to wrap themselves around his fingers. Darcy leaned forward, trying to kiss her hello, but she stepped back out of his reach.

"Don't mess up my makeup!" It was unlike her and he blinked in surprise. "We have to take pictures first." She insisted.

Darcy felt like he was a teenager again, attending a school dance. He was forced to pose for photo after photo as they each snapped pictures of various permutations of the others. Confused as to why he was posing with Jane at one point, he suggested that they find a fifth person so that they could get a full group shot. The concierge was happy to oblige when they reached the lobby and finally, the foursome was on their way to the church where the wedding was to be held.

-o-o-o-o-

Once there, they fully expected to take more photographs with the rest of their family; they rarely dressed up as a group, but the Bennets were nowhere to be seen. After some debate, they seated themselves on the bride's side of the aisle and waited. Catherine and Anne DeBourgh were already seated on the groom's side and the young woman gave them a little wave while her aunt stared straight ahead, willfully ignorant of their presence.

There was no mistaking the moment the Bennets arrived. Kitty and Lydia could be heard arguing from the hallway. From what Elizabeth could gather, Lydia had stolen Kitty's shoes and earrings and their mother was attempting to soothe the nearly crying older girl. She leaned closer to her husband and whispered. "Promise me we won't spoil our kids like that." She was almost afraid that too much exposure to her family would cease his borderline excessive desire to reproduce with her.

"Of course not. You are nothing like your mother and I am nothing like your father." He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, smiling as he inhaled the tantalizing scent of her perfume. Elizabeth closed her eyes and settled against him, happy for both his emotional and physical support.

Eventually, everyone was seated and the wedding proceeded. There was only one bridesmaid, Maria Lucas, and a single groomsman, a colleague of Collins none of them had met. Soon, the guests were reconvening at a nearby hotel for the reception.

-o-o-o-o-

The ballroom was on the small side but adequate for the wedding party and guests; it was not a large affair. There was a cash bar and a buffet table with hors d'oeuvres. Picking up an appetizer, Darcy grimaced. "Please tell me that our wedding or vow renewal - whatever we are calling it - will be of a higher class than this."

Elizabeth laughed. "Are you saying you don't want pigs in blankets? Shocking!" She patted his arm comfortingly. "I'm not letting my mother have anything to do with it and even if I did, she has expensive tastes. I don't even want to know what Jane's wedding is costing. She's lucky that Charles is willing to flout tradition enough to pay for it." 

"Can your mother not stay within a budget?"

"Oh, God, no! Also, she's the kind of woman who sees no problem with going into debt to put on a spectacle and my dad lets her run around totally unchecked."

Fortunately, Darcy did not have to respond because the speeches were begun then. They ranged greatly in length. Maria spoke for barely a minute, her nervousness made her hurry, but Collins's best man, whose name he had already forgotten blathered on for nearly fifteen, mentioning the newlyweds only barely as he ruminated on New York City, the legal system, love in general, and his own romantic pursuits in particular. Finally, mercifully, it was over and the cake was ready to be cut.

Both Darcy and Elizabeth grimaced when Collins smashed a piece of cake into his new wife's face. The bride only laughed and retaliated with her own slice. Silently, the other couple agreed not to do such a thing themselves, sharing a meaningful look as they joined the line to get their own dessert.

Once they were seated, Darcy took a small bite of cake from his plate and offered it to his wife, feeding her from his fork tastefully, as she did the same for him. Lost in their own world, it felt very romantic as they imagined it was their very own celebration. When both their plates were empty, they finally noticed the room around them and realized that they had missed the bride and groom's first dance.

"Wow, this wedding is moving right along, isn't it?" Elizabeth noticed as she looked about to see her youngest sisters starting to dance with various men.

"Perhaps they are paying by the hour." Darcy commented dryly.

Elizabeth laughed out loud and kissed him on the cheek. "Ask me to dance." She whispered into his ear.

Darcy listened to the music for a moment and decided that it was slow enough that he was willing to oblige her. He swept her into his arms and out onto the dance floor, burying his nose in her hair, already starting to escape its coif, as they slowly swayed together. Under other circumstances, he might have been convinced to ask Jane for a dance, but such a pairing would leave Elizabeth likely to dance with Bingley and he knew she was not ready for that level of contact with his friend so soon after their embarrassing encounter.

Although he enjoyed the closeness with his wife, Darcy was pleased when the last dance was announced, he had no further wish to be pressed against her in such a public place. Although she had consumed only a few drinks, the day was catching up with her and she had begun to burrow her face into his chest as was her tendency at bedtime and he very much wished to return to their suite.

She cuddled even closer to him during the limousine ride back to their hotel and by the time they arrived, she was snoring softly. Sighing slightly in disappointment, Darcy prepared to gather her into his arms so that he could carry her upstairs.

It was probably fortunate that the jostling awakened Elizabeth because it would have been quite a distance for her husband to carry her if she had not. Instead, she leaned heavily against him all the way to their room, then used a wall for support as he undressed her once inside it. Stifling another sigh, Darcy tucked her into bed then prepared to sleep himself. When he got under the covers, she unconsciously rolled toward him and snuggled into his embrace. Even frustrated, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, happy just to be with her.

-o-o-o-o-

On Sunday, both couples visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had a lovely picnic in Central Park. Although there was some awkwardness between Elizabeth and Bingley, their inherent good natures won out and by the time they boarded their flight in the early afternoon, the lighthearted relationship they had shared was nearly back to normal.

Although they all agreed that there were days' worth of fun to be had in New York, they returned to Chicago in plenty of time to get a good night's sleep in deference to Jane's first day of work on Monday morning.


	63. Chapter 63

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-63

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 91% intact_

_[ Once again: For those of you who have been reading my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**12**__, posted over a week ago) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed and mailing list for the update page so that you can find out about both stories as I post them there. I will keep mentioning new _Scottish Air_ chapters here for the time being, but since this story will end before that one does, eventually THE ONLY WAY to find out about new _Scottish Air_ chapters will be the RSS feed, the mailing list, or just wandering by my site on a regular basis. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 63**

_Monday 17 September – Sunday 30 September_

With Darcy at work, Georgiana at school and Jane at her new job, Elizabeth found herself alone on Monday morning. She had a week yet before her MBA program was to start, and hardly knew what do do with her time in the interim. She puttered around the house for a bit before calling her aunt and inviting herself over to spend the afternoon with her cousins.

Mrs. Gardiner was glad to get the help. With a newborn baby to look after, her sons were feeling a bit neglected and when reveled in their cousin's attention, snuggling up to her her even more than was usual when she read them stories.

Elizabeth was still there at half past five, when Jane returned from her first day of work. They chatted for a bit about her new office and coworkers before Elizabeth left to have dinner at her own home.

As the week wore on, she spent many of her days in the same way and although she enjoyed the time spent with her cousins and her sister, Elizabeth was still grateful when the weekend arrived – her last free one for some time. She would be happy to find herself productively engaged once again, although she would still have two days per week free and thought her aunt would probably be grateful for the company at that time.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth's first class was at nine o'clock in the morning. She woke up with her husband, as usual, but was able to ready herself in a far more leisurely manner than he.

"At least I picked Northwestern instead of U of C, my commute is just a fraction of what it could be." She kissed Darcy goodbye, still in her robe, and he wished her an excellent first day of school. As Elizabeth got dressed and saw Georgiana off to school, she could not help but feel strangely giddy, like a schoolgirl she supposed with a laugh.

Her first day of classes was relatively uneventful. As expected, she received syllabi and became acquainted with her classmates. By the end of the day she was slightly tired but excited about her schooling to come.

When Darcy arrived home that evening, Elizabeth was setting up her office with her new books and notebooks. She had little to study as of yet, but was excited to dive in to what she could. He commented on how lovely she looked but before he could kiss her in greeting, she fled downstairs to join Georgiana and ask how the girl's day had been.

All throughout dinner she talked, chattering like an excited teenager about her classes. Darcy smiled indulgently when she raced upstairs to start on what little homework she had. He supposed he could spend time with his sister that evening, but it turned out she had homework as well and, disappointed, Darcy settled down in the living room to read a book, a pastime which normally fulfilled him, but this evening only made him more restless as he thought about his wife, two floors above, and what she might be doing alone on the third floor.

-o-o-o-o-

After nearly an hour, Darcy gave up on the less than twenty pages he had managed to get through, distracted as he was, and headed up the stairs to check on Elizabeth.

The door to her study was open and Darcy stood there for a moment, watching his wife in profile as she pored over a textbook, biting her lip in the way she tended to when thinking hard about something. He moved slowly toward her and it was a testament to her work ethic that she did not even look up until he stopped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Then, she jumped significantly, startled out of her concentration.

Darcy leaned over her shoulder to read from the textbook. "Chapter Six? Elizabeth, I highly doubt you are required to read so far before your second class."

She turned her head slightly so that she could look at him. "Okay, maybe I finished the required reading half an hour ago and wanted to look ahead a bit. What's wrong with that?"

"Absolutely nothing, Sweetheart." He took Elizabeth's hand and pulled her gently to her feet. "It is only that I feel so lonely." He nuzzled his face into the place where her neck met her shoulder.

"Mmmm." She tilted her head to the side to encourage him to continue. "You won't have to be lonely for long. Your grandmother will be here in a few days."

Darcy's head shot up "This week?"

"Yes," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "you invited her months ago to come for her birthday. How did you forget that? You remember everything."

"I remember that she is coming for her birthday, which is the . . ." he had to think for a moment, "28th, I had just lost track of what date it is today."

"Today's the 24th, Fitzwilliam, I have trouble believing you don't know that. Anyway, she's coming on the 27th. Please tell me Mrs. Reynolds knows."

"Of course she knows, Mrs. Reynolds knows everything."

"I thought you knew everything." Elizabeth looked at him pointedly.

"I know what I want to do with you right now." He took her by the hand and led her over to the small sofa at the other end of the room.

She laughed. "Do you think of nothing else?"

"I thought of a great many other things today, then I came home and found you doing homework like a coeducational cliché. It brought out the dirty old man in me." His smile was suggestive and just this side of a leer.

"That's not exactly how it happened." Elizabeth protested as he drew her down into his lap.

"You're wearing a sexy skirt which I have never seen before today. Are you really telling me that you had nothing like this in mind? I suspect you purchased it just for this situation."

It was true, Elizabeth's skirt was new and although not plaid, it was certainly reminiscent of a schoolgirl uniform with its even pleats and modest but teasing length, ending a few inches above her knees. She would not admit to having bought it for his titillation, but neither could she plausibly deny such a suggestion. When she moved to straddle his lap, it fanned out, allowing for her knees to move freely. He placed one hand across her back, pulling her toward him for a kiss while his other hand rested at her knee for a few moments before traveling upward beneath her skirt.

He ended their kiss, pulling back abruptly. "Elizabeth, were you waiting for me?"

"It took you long enough, Fitzwilliam. I've been waiting."

"There's no lock." He looked toward the door, at least he had closed it upon entering. "What if Georgie - "

She cut him off with a kiss before responding. "She's not a problem. When has she ever come up here after dinner?" Darcy could not think of a time. "Besides, even if she did, she'd knock first. You taught her to respect your - our privacy."

"Good God, I hope so." Darcy was finished talking about his grandmother, his sister, or anyone else in the world but his willing wife.

Elizabeth kissed him, ready to exchange no more words for the time being.

As Elizabeth buried her face in his neck, purring softly, he let his hands stroke over her back. Then, supporting her as well as he could, he rose to his feet and began to carry her back to their bedroom.

It might have been more romantic had he not tripped halfway to the study door, nearly dropping his wife in the process. Her sexy purr turned into a fit of giggles and he was forced to set her on her feet to recover, his cheeks aflame with embarrassment. Elizabeth choked down the last of her mirth and threaded her arm through his as they walked the short distance to their bedroom together where she allowed him to prove his manliness for hours without so much as a hint of laughter.

-o-o-o-o-

On Tuesday, Elizabeth went to the Gardiners' house again to visit with her aunt and the baby. As usual, Steven joined them after a half day of preschool and they had to wait a few hours more for Doug.

She enjoyed spending time with her cousins, she truly did, yet Elizabeth could not help but wonder what more productive things she could be doing with her free time since she had no need for a job to finance her education as she had originally planned.

Wednesday was a busy day, full of classes, but Thursday again was sedate until the time came to pick up Beverly Darcy from the airport. Although Elizabeth had spoken with her husband's grandmother several times on the phone, they had yet to meet in person and she had encouraged Darcy to fly her to Chicago to celebrate her 80th birthday with her only grandchildren.

Elizabeth had seen enough pictures to be able to identify a woman waiting at the baggage carousel as her in-law. After introducing herself and participating in an awkward hug, she hefted Mrs. Darcy's suitcase and led her out to the car.

-o-o-o-o-

When they arrived home, Georgiana was waiting to greet her grandmother and did so quite enthusiastically. The pair clearly had a fondness that went beyond the dutiful and Elizabeth was reminded of her relationship with her own grandmother. Unbidden, the thought came to her mind that her own future daughters would not be able to have that, Anne Darcy was long dead and Francine Bennet was a ridiculous woman. Still, she reflected, one could never really know how things might turn out in the end. If she had children soon enough, they could even have a wonderful relationship with their great-grandmothers.

Darcy joined them after work and asked his grandmother where she would like to have dinner. Refusing to share their limited time together with strangers at a restaurant, Mrs. Darcy insisted upon cooking the meal herself and invited Elizabeth to help her prepare chicken and dumplings.

"This was my George's favorite meal and both his children seem to have inherited his love for it." Mrs. Darcy explained as she mixed the dough.

"Huh, it seems weird that we haven't had it for dinner in all the months I've lived here, then." Elizabeth was genuinely surprised.

"Oh no, Mrs. Reynolds never makes it," the older woman said conspiratorially, "I won't give her my secret recipe."

"Really? I'm surprised, I know Mrs. Reynolds has been here since before Georgiana was born, she's like family."

"She is, I suppose, but she's not family and this recipe, perfected by my mother and myself during the Great Depression, only goes to family. Now, I hope your memory is good, because you're not allowed to write this down. Neither of the two in there," she inclined her head toward the family room, "can seem to recall it."

Mrs. Darcy's eyes twinkled with merriment, but Elizabeth thought it unlikely that this was a joke, so she paid rapt attention as the ingredients were listed. The spice blend and dumpling consistency turned out to be the keys and it really was the best meal of its kind that she had ever had.

-o-o-o-o-

On Friday, Elizabeth went to class, but Darcy took the day off from work to spend with his grandmother on her birthday. That evening, Mrs. Reynolds cooked a sumptuous meal and Darcy presented his grandmother with a very special vintage bottle of Darcy Winery Chardonnay. Upon seeing the date, tears formed in the old woman's eyes.

"Oh, William, how amazing of you, 1942. That was the year . . ." She choked a bit on her words.

"I know, the year you married Grandpa and first set foot in the vineyard." He kissed his grandmother's wrinkled cheek. "He saved this for you, you know, to drink on your fiftieth wedding anniversary. He mentioned it to me once when I was young but by the time came around to serve it, he wasn't remembering things very well anymore. I didn't even know he still had it until years later after he -" Darcy could not bring himself to refer directly to his grandfather's death on such a happy occasion. "It was in the collection he left for me, but I know he wanted you to have it, to remember the good times."

"This is a good time too, being here with my wonderful grandchildren and our newest family member. The only thing that could improve my life at this point would be a great-grandchild!" She winked at Elizabeth to belay any feelings of pressure the young woman might feel at such a pronouncement. They had bonded some already and she understood that they would be waiting for some time before procreating. She cleared her throat and handed the wine back to her grandson. "I cannot think of a better time than today to open this bottle. Would you do the honors?"

Darcy opened the wine and even Georgiana was allowed a splash of the meaningful vintage. They toasted to old memories and new ones and everyone appreciated both the delicious wine and all that it represented.

After dinner, more gifts were presented and they all stayed up fairly late laughing at stories of times gone by.

-o-o-o-o-

Mrs. Darcy's visit lasted only until Sunday afternoon, at which point the entire family went to the airport to see her off. Once they had returned home and had dinner, Georgiana went to her room and Elizabeth and Darcy sat on the sofa snuggled close together.

"Fitzwilliam?"

"Hmm?" Darcy's eyes had already closed, as he was lulled almost into a trance by his wife's fingers tracing random patterns over the front of his shirt.

"You know I've always been afraid of becoming my mother."

"Impossible."

"So you say, but I can't be sure. I was only ten when my Meemaw died - "

"Meemaw?" He seemed content to respond in a nearly monosyllabic manner that evening, although his tone conveyed mild curiosity.

"Yeah, that's what we called our Gardiner grandmother. Anyway, I was just a little girl when she died, but I remember her being a lot like my mom, always complaining about her nerves, getting worked up over little things and ignoring big ones. Whenever I noticed it, I would get kind of scared of what I might turn into as an adult."

Apparently Darcy could not come up with a suitable one-word response to her concern, so he merely shifted enough so that he could kiss the crown of her head. Elizabeth smiled slightly at the reassurance and went on with her thought.

"What I was thinking though, is that I don't have to be like my mother or her mother. I know it's a while down the road, so to speak, but someday I want to be like my paternal grandmother - or yours."

"Good."

"Aren't you talkative today." Despite her phrasing, it was not a question. "That's okay, because I just need you to listen. Well, listen and promise me something."

"Anything." His eyes were still closed.

"There's one major thing that my Gram and your Grandma have in common, something I don't want to share; they're widows." She could feel his body stiffen slightly in her embrace. "I don't want to be a widow, Fitzwilliam, promise me you'll never die."

Her voice was uncharacteristically whiny and Darcy was sure that if he opened his eyes, he would see tears in hers, he could hear it in her voice. Sighing, he sat up and pulled away, turning to face his wife. "Elizabeth, I cannot promise not to die. I will make you any vow within my power, but you know that is not among them."

She nodded slightly, aware that what she asked had been ridiculous and wiped away the single tear that had meandered down her cheek.

"I can promise that you and I will be together as long as is humanly possible, Sweetheart. I love you and nothing will ever change that." He decided to inject a modicum of humor into the situation to dissipate any lingering sadness. "Unless, of course, you really do turn into your mother someday."

She slapped him lightly on the shoulder and laughed. His joke had done just what he intended. Darcy rose to his feet and held his hand out to her. "Let's go to bed."

Elizabeth squinted at the clock. "But it's only . . ." She then looked into his eyes and saw them full of love and desire. "Sure, bed sounds good." She took his hand and they headed up the stairs together.


	64. Chapter 64

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-64

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 76% intact_

_[ Once again: For those of you who have been reading my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**13**__, posted last week) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed and mailing list for the update page so that you can find out about both stories as I post them there. I will keep mentioning new _Scottish Air_ chapters here for the time being, but since this story will end before that one does, eventually THE ONLY WAY to find out about new _Scottish Air_ chapters will be the RSS feed, the mailing list, or just wandering by my site on a regular basis. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks,_

_ Kelly ]_

**Chapter 64**

_Tuesday 23 October – Sunday 11 November_

Elizabeth continued in her routine for a few weeks but near the end of October, despite thoroughly enjoying the time she was spending with her aunt and cousins, she found herself yearning for something else. After talking to her husband, she decided to look into working with the family charity and placed a call to Anne DeBourgh.

An hour of intermittent pleasantries and uncomfortable silences later, Elizabeth had an official part-time volunteer position at the Chicago office of The Fitzwilliam Foundation. When Darcy came home from work that evening, she was excited to tell him all about it.

"I start on Thursday and though I don't get to decide who gets the grants or anything, I'll have some input. My new job will include visiting local elementary arts programs and tutoring institutions and helping the ones that we fund with their budgets."

He smiled "We? That happened fast."

"Yeah, it was a little weird to talk about some things with Anne, I'm not sure she's totally over her lifelong crush on you, but she really made me feel like a part of the team. Besides, we got along pretty well at Char's bachelorette party, well, the parts of it I remember, at least."

Darcy chuckled at his wife's embarrassed look and kissed her flushing cheek. "I am sure you will do admirably. If you do not like it though, there is no reason to stay, even a short volunteer stint can look good on a resume."

"Ugh, it's like padding my college application all over again, I thought I was past that crap."

"I have news for you, Sweetheart, you are never past that 'crap'." Elizabeth could hear the quotes he placed around the last word and smiled to herself at his snooty emphasis, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his mouth.

-o-o-o-o-

That Thursday, Elizabeth had her foundation orientation and found everybody to be welcoming and helpful. She had an extra spring in her step when she returned home that only increased when, the next week, she got to visit her first beneficiary, an after-school choir in an impoverished neighborhood. It was so heartwarming to her what the organizers were trying to accomplish and she found many ways in which she could streamline the program so that the kids could get a great experience at a lower cost.

Darcy was thrilled to see her so happy and productive but was chagrined to find that although the timing of her Fitzwilliam Foundation duties generally coincided with his work schedule, they caused her to use time they could have otherwise spent together to stay caught up on her schoolwork. There were days when they did not see each other at all between the time Darcy rose from bed in the morning to the time they sat down to dinner at night. Sometimes even after dinner, she would hole up in her office until bed time.

At least they were together at bed time, Darcy reflected one evening as he watched his wife put on her nightgown. Somehow Elizabeth had already amassed an impressive amount of lingerie and revealing nightwear. He remembered his impression of her wardrobe the first time he had seen her; he would never have expected that woman to sleep in something so short or low-cut.

Tonight, her nightgown was simple and one of the most modest that she owned, excepting those she reserved for when they were visiting others. It was amethyst silk and had cap sleeves that kept it from slipping down her shoulders.

"Lizzy, my love," he began as she began to climb into bed next to him, "why do you insist on wearing such inconvenient garments to bed every night?"

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm one super thin layer away from you, I'd hardly call that inconvenient."

"It is less convenient than if you were not wearing it at all."

"Fitzwilliam, you know I don't like to go to bed naked."

"You don't seem to mind waking up that way." His eyebrows raised suggestively and she laughed again.

You're right and I don't claim that it makes sense but I am who I am and you love me despite that."

"I love you because of it." He took the garment by its hem and proceeded as they both desired.

-o-o-o-o-

"Fitzwilliam?" Elizabeth ventured once her breathing had returned to normal. "What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?"

"We often go to California but this year Grandma is going on that cruise for seniors."

"I remember her mentioning that, it sounded fun." She could almost feel her husband rolling his eyes. "Do you have a, uh, backup plan?"

He was surprised by the uncharacteristic nervousness he heard in Elizabeth's voice but chose not to comment and instead answered her question. "I thought we might go to Boston, Aunt Catherine wants to host a family gathering in New York, but I cannot stomach the thought of staying with that woman now, no matter how well you are getting along with Anne." He paused to stroke her hair. "I did not even speak to her at the Collins wedding."

She knew Darcy's relationship with his aunt had started to strain when she tried to insist upon the unfair nuptial contract and had all but broken when she had presented him with surreptitiously taken photographs of an afternoon his wife had innocently spent with Bingley. Choosing not to get into the painful subject, Elizabeth remained on the only slightly more safe topic of holidays. "What about Christmas?"

"We always go to Boston and spend it with Uncle Robert's family."

"Do you see no problem with that plan?"

"I know my Aunt Catherine will be there, Sweetheart, but neither of us has to talk to her at all."

"That's not it; well that's not most of it. What about my family?"

A strange look passed across his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, my family celebrates holidays too. Why can't we go to Ann Arbor for Christmas?"

"We always go to Boston for Christmas." His voice was an odd mix of pleading and firmness.

"I always spend Christmas with my family, but this year I am willing to compromise."

"How so?"

"We'll spend Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with yours."

"We -" He looked as if he wished to refuse but could not think of a way. "Is there room for us at your parents' house?"

"There's been room for us before." She remarked dryly, then took pity on him. "I was thinking, what about for this first year, we host Thanksgiving here?"

"Mrs. Reynolds has the holiday off, the whole long weekend even."

"I suspected as much. I'll cook, you and Georgie can help me. It'll be fun."

"I am not sure I believe that."

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

"This is not an adventure, Elizabeth, it is asking for trouble."

"Don't be a jerk!" She huffed and flopped to her side so that she was facing away from him.

"I'm sorry." He put his arm around her and moved in close, pressing the length of his entire body against hers. Thankfully, she did not pull away or resist, although neither did she acquiesce and help. "Your family can come here for Thanksgiving on one condition."

"Condition? You're dictating conditions now? That is the most ridiculous, misogynistic thing you have ever – mmph!" She was silenced by a large hand covering her mouth.

"At least hear the condition first, Sweetheart." She was not mollified by his use of the endearment, if anything she was angered further but she stopped trying to talk against his hand and he removed it.

"The condition is that you cannot do any work this weekend. You have to agree to come with me back to The Four Seasons, where we spent our all too brief honeymoon."

"This weekend, why?"

"We have to celebrate, Elizabeth. It is almost our six month anniversary." He was not prepared for the burst of laughter that followed his statement. Her mood had certainly shifted abruptly.

"Really," she finally choked out, "you want to celebrate that?"

He was puzzled. "Of course, I think the milestones of our relationship are worthy of note. Do you not?"

"It's not that, of course our relationship is worthy of note and celebration and all that proverbial jazz, it's just . . . do you remember what you said when Jane and I visited Chicago in March?"

"I am sure I said several things, I was very pleased to see you." He kissed her temple and awaited her explanation.

"Not about me, about Jane and Charles. He said they were celebrating the one month anniversary of their new relationship and you pointed out that nothing deserves an anniversary after 'only a week or a month or forty-seven days'." She pitched her voice deeply in an imitation of her husband as she repeated the words he had said all those months before, then laughed and continued in her usual timbre. "It was a bit of a rant. I can't believe you don't remember."

"I think I do, a bit. Please, go on though, It is fascinating to hear what I sound like to another's ears." He raised his eyebrows to emphasize his teasing.

Speaking in as low a voice as she could again, Elizabeth went on at his prompting. "The word 'anniversary' comes from the Latin '_annus_' meaning 'year'. Nothing that is not a number of years deserves the title or the resulting celebration." Her lips stuck out as she performed her imitation and when she finished, could not help but kiss them.

He was quiet for several minutes as he thought over what he now remembered saying. "I genuinely felt that way then, but now that we have been married for six months, I feel an intense need to celebrate the milestone. It is inexplicable." They lay in silence for a moment longer before he continued. "Perhaps we could refer to it as our half anniversary; then it would still be measured in yearly units and thus fit the etymology of the word."

"Sure, Fitzwilliam, half anniversary it is, halfiversary even."

The silly portmanteau made Darcy smile and he kissed her smiling lips again before asking whether she would agree to his bargain. Her response was an enthusiastic yes and they made love again before falling asleep that night.

-o-o-o-o-

The next afternoon, when Elizabeth returned from her classes, she was surprised to find her small suitcase packed and waiting by the door. When her husband returned from work, she asked why.

"Do you not recall last night? We have plans this weekend."

"The weekend is Saturday and Sunday, Fitzwilliam, I have school work to do tonight. Besides, how did you pack my bag already?"

""The weekend starts right now and Mrs. Reynolds packed it for you at my request."

"You know I have homewo-" Elizabeth's protest was cut off by Darcy's lips pressing against her own. When he released her, he spoke before she had a chance to further protest.

"How much work do you actually have to accomplish by Monday that is not already done?"

"Well, I only have a week to finish -"

"Monday." He reminded her.

"I did it already." She admitted in a mumble against his chest.

"Excellent, Goodrich is waiting out front."

"We're taking the Town Car? That seems unnecessarily fancy." She let him help her into a light jacket and lead her out the front door to the chauffeured vehicle idling in the driveway.

-o-o-o-o-

Once checked into the hotel, Elizabeth opened her suitcase. She expected to be taken out for a nice meal and was sure that something suitable to wear had been packed for her. She was surprised then to find nothing but toiletries and lingerie.

"Fitzwilliam, you can't expect me to wear this out to dinner!" She gestured to the ensemble she had worn to school that day; jeans and a sweatshirt.

"I do not." A smile played on his lips.

"Ah, you have something fancy already hanging here." Elizabeth strode to the closet and pulled it open. It contained nothing but hangers and spare pillows. "Are you not planning to feed me?" She looked at her husband dubiously.

"Of course I'll feed you, from my own plate even, you need your strength."

"Well, dressed like this, I can't go anywhere nicer than Chili's."

"You will not be dressed like that." Darcy's eyes raked over her body and she suddenly understood his meaning.

"I won't be dressed at all?" He looked slightly sheepish and Elizabeth smiled, rising up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "It really is just like last time, then." She consulted the room service menu and told him what she wanted, then grabbed her luggage and disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later wearing a sapphire robe. He could not tell if she wore anything beneath it and she did not seem in a hurry to show him.

"We have to talk about something." She said as she approached the table.

He held her chair out then moved to his own seat across from her. "That sounds ominous, but go ahead."

"I like Mrs. Reynolds, you know I do, but . . ." she bit her lip, trying to phrase her thoughts just right, "I'm not used to having her do things for me the way you are." She stopped for a moment and Darcy made an assumption, suddenly sounding upset as he responded.

"I cannot let her go, Sweetheart, she is like family to me."

"Of course she is," Elizabeth took his hand reassuringly, "I would never ask you to fire her. It's just that as much as I like her, she's not quite family to me yet, and even if she was . . . it's bad enough that she washes my underwear, but to have her pack it for a romantic getaway, that's too much!"

"This is about your suitcase?"

"Yes! Do you know what's in there? Did you tell her what to pack?"

"I did not review the contents, but I told her we would be celebrating an anniversary and did not plan to leave the hotel room so there would be no need for formal attire."

"Great, the woman who practically raised you knows we're just going to have sex all weekend!"

"I am sure she does not think that, Elizabeth."

"Really, do you want to see what she packed for me?" Elizabeth stood up and untied her robe, exposing her lingerie. She was not prepared for his laughter. Irritated, she pulled the robe shut, overlapping the sides to completely obscure his view of her body, and tied it quickly. "I don't see what's so funny about this. She packed me half a dozen things like this and my toiletries. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

"Like she knows us a little too well?" Darcy knew that was not the correct answer, but he could not help giving it.

"Like she thinks I'm some kind of tramp!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sweetheart, there is nothing remotely tramp-like about our monogamous relationship."

She sighed, irritated. "You don't get this at all! Does it never bother you that she knows everything that goes on in the house – in your life?"

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Oh, really? Think of all she knew about you as a teenager."

"I do not know what you want me to do."

Elizabeth sat down and thought for a moment. "I can accept her doing the laundry and having all the knowledge that goes with that but I need to draw a line somewhere, and I think that's packing for me, especially for a romantic getaway. The idea of anybody but you knowing that I wear stuff like this is mortifying. It's actually more so because I have kind of started to think of Mrs. Reynolds like family. I mean, I wouldn't want my mom to know I own this. It's bad enough that your aunt and cousin bought me all that stuff in May." She looked to him for validation and when he nodded in understanding, she continued. "I'm comfortable with my body, I'm just not comfortable with them knowing specifics."

"I understand what you're saying, Sweetheart. I promise, the next time I mean to surprise you with a packed suitcase, I shall take care of your underthings myself."

"That's all I ask."

"Dresses and shoes and the like, can Mrs. Reynolds pack those things for you?"

"Sure, I suppose so. I know maybe this sounds crazy to you, but it's actually been bothering me, so I appreciate you going along with it."

There was a knock at the door, indicating that their room service meal had arrived. Darcy got up to answer it, kissing his wife's forehead as he went. "It will be such a trial for me, handling all your lingerie, but if you insist, I suppose I can forbear." He was lucky that by the time he finished his sentence, he was too far away to be smacked, even playfully.

The rest of the night went according to the original romantic plans.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, when Elizabeth awoke to an empty bed, she was annoyed briefly until she noticed the unmistakeable scent of bacon wafting in through the door. She rose to investigate but, realizing that her robe had been left on the couch, she spent a few minutes yanking the top sheet free from the bed. It was not as easy as she had expected, the beds in this hotel were well made. Eventually, wrapped in a makeshift toga, she ventured out into the other room of the suite, where she was met with the sight of a laden table and Darcy in a hotel bathrobe reading the newspaper.

He lowered the paper when he heard her approach, raising his eyebrows at the sight. "You needn't have dressed so elaborately for breakfast, Elizabeth, we are not entertaining guests."

"Oh, shut up," she said without malice, "I didn't know if the room service guy would still be here. When did this come?"

"Barely five minutes ago, you have excellent timing." He rose to pull out a chair for her and said no more about her attire as they shared the meal.

The rest of that day was spent in pleasant conversation between bouts of lovemaking. The topic of their formal vow renewal, the wedding ceremony their families could see, was discussed and they agreed to leave most of the preparations to a wedding planner to relieve as much stress as possible and keep Mrs. Bennet from getting too involved.

Elizabeth also spent much of the afternoon trying to talk her husband into a couples' massage. He had never had a spa treatment before and was not fond of the idea of being touched so thoroughly by a stranger.

"Come on, Fitwilliam, you could use the stress release."

"I know of another way to relieve stress, a quite effective one that works for both of us." He spoke suggestively and she laughed then moaned as he began kissing her neck.

"Although that's super fun, it doesn't do anything about your tight muscles. Come on, for me?" She extended her lower lip into a pout and the discussion was over.

He agreed but after she had made the appointment for that evening, he began to waver again. "I am not sure about being naked with these people, Elizabeth."

"You don't have anything that someone in their line of work hasn't seen before." That did not seem to convince him, "Fine, you can leave your underpants on if you want."

"Will you?"

"Sure." She rolled her eyes when he looked away, but kissed him on the cheek when he came within reach, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. "I know how possessive you can be." She whispered in his ear before biting the lobe. "Don't tell anybody, but I kind of like it."

After the massage therapists had left that evening, Darcy admitted that he felt great and vowed never to doubt his wife's judgment again.

-o-o-o-o-

On Sunday, Elizabeth managed to convince Darcy not to insist upon a later checkout time and they left early enough that she could do some of the school work about which she was antsy and look through a few files for her charity project later in the week.

Richard reported that Georgiana had been out on a date Saturday night but had returned before her curfew, although he admitted it was a close call. Darcy sighed as he always did when forced to realize his sister was growing up and allowed Elizabeth to soothe him in the way he loved.


	65. Chapter 65

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-65

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 87% intact_

_[ Once again: For those of you who have been reading my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**14**__, posted last week) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed and mailing list for the update page so that you can find out about both stories as I post them there. I will keep mentioning new _Scottish Air_ chapters here for the time being, but since this story will end before that one does, eventually THE ONLY WAY to find out about new _Scottish Air_ chapters will be the RSS feed, the mailing list, or just wandering by my site on a regular basis. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 65**

_Tuesday 20 November – Sunday 25 November_

By two days before Thanksgiving, Elizabeth had obtained everything deemed necessary to prepare the holiday meal. Although it had taken nearly a week after the anniversary getaway before she was able to comfortably look Mrs. Reynolds in the eye, she eventually managed to get the ever efficient housekeeper's approval for her planned menu and assurance that she had all the requisite supplies.

That afternoon, after Mrs. Reynolds bade them farewell before leaving to spend the holiday with her own family, Elizabeth asked in a slightly petulant voice. "I know she has her own family and is used to getting Thanksgiving off, but is it wrong of me to want her to stay this year and help me?"

Darcy put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "It is not wrong to want it, only to demand it."

"I would never do that, I just feel like I really need to do a good job with this meal, especially with my mom coming. I guess I'm afraid of screwing up my first chance at something she's managed to do right for years, decades even. Still, asking Mrs. Reynolds to stay at the last minute would have been super mean."

"Especially with your mom coming." Darcy muttered, not quietly enough to avoid being overheard.

"Hey." Elizabeth's protest was without vehemence and she leaned into his embrace. "You're going to be nice though, right?" She trusted him but felt the need to check.

"I am always nice." He insisted. At her dubious look, he amended his defense. "I am not rude."

"Sure, you just keep thinking that." Elizabeth bent her knees and ducked beneath his arm, going to the counter to rearrange, yet again, her already organized Thanksgiving supplies.

-o-o-o-o-

The next day, when she returned from class, Elizabeth started working on the holiday dinner. Georgiana was eager to help, she had never before made a pie and chopped up apples as she watched Elizabeth making crust from scratch, fascinated.

By the time Darcy arrived home from work, they had two pies in the oven and cranberry sauce simmering on the stove. Two more uncooked pies waited on the counter.

"The delicious smell in here is almost overwhelming." He proclaimed as he kissed both his sister and wife in greeting. "I cannot wait to taste everything."

"Well you don't have a choice in the waiting," Elizabeth proclaimed, "all of this is for tomorrow. You can have some pecans or an apple." She gestured to the leftover ingredients that sat unguarded on the table as she placed herself between him and the oven. Georgiana laughed at her sister-in-law's food guardianship and grabbed one of the surplus apples before heading out of the kitchen, leaving the couple alone.

"Did you make pecan pie?" His eyes lit up at the thought.

"It's my Gram's recipe, she taught me to make it when I was little and she still lived in Ann Arbor." Elizabeth sighed. "I wish she didn't hate flying so much, she'd love to see my new home and how happy I am in it."

"Perhaps someday we could get her on a train." Darcy suggested. He made his way to the table and popped a few pecans into his mouth. "I never get to have pecan pie with either side of the family, Aunt Catherine does not like it and Uncle Max is allergic to nuts."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the thought of Catherine inflicting her own tastes on the entire Fitzwilliam family but elected to discuss the other relation he had mentioned. "You never talk about your uncle in California." Her question remained unspoken, but he understood it.

"He did not get along well with my father – I think it was a little more than your average sibling rivalry but I was never really aware of the specific problem. I suppose the unresolved issues when Dad died have made it a bit awkward between Uncle Max and I over the past several years. We get along, generally, I mean we have no difficulties, but we meet only at Grandma's house once a year or so."

"Should we have invited him for Thanksgiving? I know he doesn't have any other family . . ." Elizabeth bit her lip, concerned at the slight.

"No, he would not expect it. Besides, it could have been awkward here with mostly your family and him the only one of mine."

"Georgie's here."

"Georgie is part of our family – our immediate family, it's not the same." He looked at her strangely. "I thought you felt the same way."

"I do," she reassured him quickly, "I really do and she gets along pretty well with my sisters, as nervous as I know that makes you."

Darcy pressed his lips together as if to repress his true opinion and Elizabeth chose to peck those closed lips instead of commenting. He sat in the kitchen and watched as she stirred the cranberry sauce and removed the finished pies, replacing them with the unbaked pair. When the telephone rang, he answered it.

"Hello, Richard. How is Boston?" His brow furrowed as he listened to the answer. "Of course, here she is." Darcy passed the phone to his wife, curiosity in his eyes.

Elizabeth spoke to his cousin for a few moments, smiling as she agreed with whatever he said. The moment she hung up, her husband asked what had occurred. She regarded him for a moment, cocking her head to the side.

"You're jealous!"

"What? No I am not, why would I be jealous?"

"I don't know, but for some reason you're jealous of Richard. You can't possibly think there's anything going on between us. Don't you want me to be friends with him?"

Darcy shook his head as if to rid himself of a bad thought. "I'm sorry, of course I want you to be friends. Still, I do wonder what he wants." He looked at her expectantly.

She laughed, unable to deny her husband the information he sought any longer. "Apparently his mother is giving him a hard time about his taste in ladies' presents. He wants me to go shopping with him this year." Elizabeth kissed her husband as she sat on his lap. "You look disappointed. Were you expecting something more scandalous?

"Perhaps." He put his arms around her and considered the situation, not entirely comfortable with how it had made him feel.

-o-o-o-o-

The second set of pies was still in the oven when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the Bennet family. Elizabeth went to answer the door while Darcy called Georgiana to greet their guests.

Everyone was getting settled into their rooms when a loud timer went off, allowing the lady of the house a graceful escape from the inexplicable squabbling that had already arisen among her sisters.

Breathing a sigh of relief to be alone for even a moment, Elizabeth bent to remove her pies from the oven, nearly dropping the last one when she heard her mother's voice behind her.

"Don't you have someone to do that for you?"

Biting back an irritated sigh, she placed the pie on the counter and turned. "Mrs. Reynolds helped me some with the preparations, but I am fully capable of cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for my family."

"I just don't understand why you pay servants who are never around when you need them!"

"For the last time, Mom, we do not have 'servants'," she spoke the word mockingly, with the same disdain her mother seemed to imbue into it, "we have a housekeeper who cooks for us most nights, but she is spending the holiday with her own family."

"That woman never seems to work at all. I hardly met her on our last trip."

Elizabeth did not voice the thought that if it had not worked out that way coincidentally, she might have arranged it anyway just to spare the poor housekeeper's sanity. Instead, she gave another equally true explanation to her mother. "You've only visited during holidays, she gets most holidays off, it's not really a conspiracy."

"Well, you can hardly be expected to prepare food for this whole crowd all on your own, Lizzy! Let me help you." Mrs. Bennet began to roll up her sleeves and look around for something to do.

"Thanks, Mom, but I'm fine." Elizabeth turned off the burner under the cranberry sauce and checked that the oven was empty and off as well. "Darcy and Georgie will help me if I need it. You're here as our guest, just enjoy yourself. How long has it been since you've gotten to be a guest at Thanksgiving?"

Her mother acceded that it had been some time and agreed to leave her daughter in charge of the cooking. Elizabeth wondered how long the vow would last.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, a blaring alarm woke the hosts at six o'clock in the morning.

"You cannot be serious, Elizabeth." Darcy said, looking at the clock. "What could possibly need to be done this early?"

"We have a twenty pound turkey, it takes a while to cook."

"I thought dinner was at noon."

"It is, so let's get going." More energetic than usual in the morning, Elizabeth leaped from their bed and dressed herself in jeans and a tee shirt. "Casual clothes," she reminded her husband, "you might get turkey guts on them."

He made a face but complied.

Ten minutes later, as he attempted to balance the large turkey in the sink as water ran over it, he understood Elizabeth's advice. Although there were no discernible guts on his shirt, there was a large wet spot that was likely a combination of water and whatever questionable liquid had been contained beneath the turkey packaging. "Next year, we ought to have Thanksgiving catered." He suggested tersely.

"Where's the fun in that?" Elizabeth's eyes were watering slightly as she chopped yet another onion. He was alarmed for a moment at her tears before he identified the cause.

"The fun is in sleeping in and not getting covered in – whatever this is!" He gestured to his moistened chest as his wife suppressed a giggle.

"You're doing fine. Just be glad I'm making the turkey in a bag*, it cuts hours off of the cooking time, we would have had to be up even earlier otherwise."

Darcy dubiously looked at the plastic bag into which she was placing a layer of onions but wisely did not comment.

"Did you get the neck and giblets?"

"Excuse me?" He blinked at her question then widened his eyes as she stuck her arm into the turkey, elbow deep, and pulled out what was unmistakeably a turkey neck and a little bag with something red or brown inside. He gagged a bit at the sight.

"Oh, don't be a baby, Fitzwilliam, you wanted to help."

He watched in horror as she put the contents of the bag in a pan with some water to simmer on the stove. "What are you doing with that?"

"I'm making gravy, eventually. Don't look at me like that, I'm sure you've had giblet gravy before, you probably just didn't know it. A dose of reality once in a while is good for you. Now, rinse the turkey inside and out." He moved slowly to do as she said. "Pat it dry when you're done." She kept her eye on him even as she cubed a loaf of stale bread for stuffing. "Use the paper towels!" Her warning came just in time to save a nice dishtowel from becoming a disgusting mess and she smiled to herself, amused by her intelligent husband's incompetence.

When the clean, dry turkey met with her approval, Elizabeth filled it loosely with the stuffing mixture then talked Darcy through the process of trussing the bird as she rubbed its skin with herbs and melted butter. Together they managed to get the behemoth into its bag then into the oven.

"Now can we shower?" Darcy asked, looking from his grimy appearance to his wife's. He made no attempt to hide his disappointment when she shook her head.

"First, those." She pointed to a large bag of potatoes sitting on the floor. "I made sure we had two peelers, let's get cracking." Together, they removed the skin from every last spud and filled a large pot with them and water.

Allowing her husband to carry the heavy burden to the stove, Elizabeth sighed happily. "There's more to do yet, but it will be less filthy, we can take a shower now if you want."

"At this moment, Sweetheart, I cannot fathom wanting anything more."

-o-o-o-o-

Later, The freshly showered couple worked together well as they prepared various side dishes for the upcoming holiday meal. Their gourmet kitchen's second oven came in handy and the scent of roasted garlic filled the air as Darcy chopped, fetched, and cleaned as he was instructed. Although his second shirt of the day quickly became just as unrepresentable as the first for dinner wear, at least the offending substances were water and carrot peels instead of poultry fluids. He steadfastly refused to wear an apron as his wife did.

When Georgiana came downstairs, she too was put to work but the Bennets were told that as guests, they were to relax accordingly. Elizabeth's sisters were pleased to entertain themselves for a few hours in front of the large basement TV. Dr Bennet, too, was happy to be released and headed to the Darcy library to find a book.

Only Mrs. Bennet was unable to sit idly by as dinner was made. She kept trying to insert herself into the preparation of one dish after another until Elizabeth agreed to allow her to make biscuits.

"What about the rolls Mrs. Reynolds left us?" Darcy asked under his breath when his wife was close enough to hear.

"I'll put them in the freezer, my mom won't go away until she's made something and her herbed biscuits are pretty good." He acknowledged her with a kiss and they worked in silence as Mrs. Bennet began a long-winded tale about one of her friends in Ann Arbor and some terrible haircut she had recently gotten.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually, Thanksgiving Dinner was ready. A leaf had been added to the dining table and extra chairs brought in, leaving little room to maneuver in the room. As Darcy was carrying the turkey to the table, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the Gardiners.

Everyone hugged the new arrivals and cooed over little Helen, still sleeping peacefully in her carseat.

Jane and Bingley had arrived together some time before and although Dr. Bennet's eyes had narrowed upon their entrance, to his credit, he did not say a word about it.

As the food was ready, they were quick to assemble in the dining room. Breakfast had been a long time ago for the hungry little Gardiner boys and they had worked up an appetite by playing all morning.

Apparently unconcerned about noise, the baby slept through toasts, laughter, and boisterous conversation. Some people were considering seconds when she whimpered briefly before letting out a loud wail.

Mrs. Gardiner excused herself and took the baby into another room to give her a more age-appropriate feast.

-o-o-o-o-

After dinner, they argued about what movie to watch. Unfortunately for Lydia and Kitty, every suggestion they offered was vetoed due to the presence of their young cousins. Eventually, they ended up watching _The__Wizard__of__Oz_ in the basement while the men excused themselves to watch the Lions game upstairs.

Although the football was watched mostly in silence, Darcy felt he was making progress in his relationship with his father-in-law if only because they managed to spend several hours in company together without either man accusing the other of anything or storming out of the room.

Their calm afternoon was interrupted when the Gardiner boys came clamoring up the stairs, demanding pie now that their movie was finished.

Those interested in the game took their dessert in front of the television while the others gathered around the table once more. Afterward, Elizabeth and Jane both joined their young men in the living room despite their disinterest in the action the screen.

As Elizabeth curled up in his lap, Darcy looked at Dr. Bennet and saw that the man was keeping his eyes deliberately forward, as if he was doing his best not to see anything that might be upsetting. The gesture was appreciated.

-o-o-o-o-

Early the next morning, earlier than they had awoken on Thanksgiving day, Elizabeth and Darcy heard a pounding on their bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Darcy managed to croak groggily.

"Is Lizzy awake?"

"That does not answer my question." He muttered, almost into his pillow.

"It's Kitty," his wife told him in her own sleepy voice, "I agreed to go shopping. Damn, it's early." She buried her face in the pillow and let out a grunt of frustration before reluctantly leaving the bed. "Go downstairs," she called to her overly perky sister, "I'll be there in a minute!"

By the time she dressed and left the room, Darcy was snoring softly again.

-o-o-o-o-

"Never again! This Black Friday stuff is not for me." Elizabeth exclaimed as she stomped into the house that afternoon, carrying several shopping bags. She was followed by her mother and sisters, all similarly laden and in various moods.

Kitty and Lydia were chattering happily about their purchases. Apparently, their mother, also cheerful, had provided adequate funds for their shopping needs and they had spent it well. Mary looked irritated but satisfied and Jane just looked tired. Darcy had the perhaps uncouth suspicion that she had been up fairly late the night before. He knew Elizabeth had been.

-o-o-o-o-

On Saturday, the entire group went into the city and somehow managed to keep the youngest Bennet sisters from continuing their shopping spree. Together, they visited the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. There was some whining but for the most part, the day was a success and Darcy treated them all to dinner at a nice restaurant.

Finally, on Sunday, the Bennets left to go home. Despite the harried shopping trip on Friday and her sisters' whining on Saturday, Elizabeth considered the visit to have been an unmitigated success.

-x-x-x-x-

*I cannot recommend Reynolds Oven Bags highly enough. Other brands may make them, I don't know, I have only ever used that one. I don't mean to sound like a commercial or anything and I am sure that real chefs are horrified by this concept, but I get a perfect turkey every time without ever basting. The combination of the turkey bag and the magic pop-up button is a godsend to amateur cooks like me who somehow got to be in charge of Thanksgiving even as teenagers.


	66. Chapter 66

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-66

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 80% intact_

_[ Once again: For those of you who have been reading my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**15**__, a heavy one, posted more than a week ago) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed and mailing list for the update page so that you can find out about both stories as I post them there. I will keep mentioning new _Scottish Air_ chapters here for the time being, but since this story will end before that one does, eventually THE ONLY WAY to find out about new _Scottish Air_ chapters will be the RSS feed, the mailing list, or just wandering by my site on a regular basis. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/updates

_Thanks, Kelly ]_

**Chapter 66**

_Saturday 1 December_

"What time is Richard picking you up, Sweetheart?" Darcy asked over breakfast on Saturday morning. He was casually dressed for the day, while his wife still wore a nightgown and robe.

"Noon. Do you have any exciting plans for the day?"

"Maybe, for the next few hours, at least. Would you like to shoot a game of pool?" He seemed oddly plaintive, as if he was desperate that they spend time together. Georgiana had left early that morning to shop with some friends, perhaps he was feeling abandoned.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. In all the months they had been married, they had not once used the pool table in the game room although he occasionally did with guests. "I don't really know how to play." She admitted. "I mean, I understand in theory about force and angles and stuff, but I don't really know how to execute a shot properly."

"Then I can teach you. In fact, that sounds like a delightful way to spend the morning." He winked at his wife who smiled at him strangely then excused herself to dress, promising to meet him in the basement soon.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy was racking up the balls when Elizabeth joined him in the game room. His eyes widened when he took in her apparel. "Were you planning to wear that shopping with Richard?" He choked out as his eyes scanned her high heeled shoes, mostly uncovered legs, and revealing top.

She wore the same skirt she had on her first day of school, although it seemed somehow briefer today. Darcy could not tell due to her shirttails, but he suspected she had rolled the waistband to shorten it. He had seen that blouse before as well, but never with so few buttons fastened.

"Why, is there something wrong with it?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows questioningly and accepted the cue stick he held out to her. He did not respond, so she pointed at the table and asked another question. "So, are you going to show me how to do this, or what?"

"Ah, yes, of course." He cleared his throat loudly and placed the cue ball in position, glancing at his wife as he lined up his shot and explained how to properly strike the ball. Although it made firm contact with the numbered balls, none dropped into pockets, so he told Elizabeth that it was her turn, pointing out an easy shot for her to try. Despite himself, he could not keep his eyes from her posterior as she leaned forward over the table until she interrupted his staring with a question.

"Like this, Fitzwilliam?"

He forced his eyes to focus on her hands and swallowing loudly, he repositioned them, reminding her to hold the cue more loosely. "Try now."

Elizabeth drew back the stick just as he had and hit it sharply. "Yay!" She yelled in delight as the six ball dropped into the pocket.

"Not so fast," her husband warned, "look." The cue ball followed after it. Even as inexperienced a player as she was, Elizabeth knew that was bad.

He let her keep the pocketed ball, but retrieved the cue ball for his own shot. Despite the exquisite distraction of his wife, Darcy managed to sink three of his own before it was her turn again.

As she bent over the table this time, he wondered why she was wearing that. It was his experience that Elizabeth did almost nothing without thinking and she clearly wanted him to notice her. Surely, she did not feel the need to wear anything so revealing for a friendly shopping trip with his cousin and friend.

He had been so distracted that she had to tap his shoulder to get his attention. "Your turn, Fitzwilliam, I missed my shot."

It was only three more turns before he had won the game, although he was certain he could have done it more quickly if not for his eyes and concentration constantly wandering. He racked up the balls again and she chalked her cue stick, more because it was something she had seen people do than from any real need.

He placed the cue ball and told her how to hit it for a good break then, as she let the stick slip between her fingers as she drew it back and forth before striking the ball, he saw her lick her lips. There was no mistaking her meaning. She had worn the outfit for him, to distract him or seduce him, he was not sure but when his turn came and she leaned forward across the table, purportedly to get a better look, he was sure of it. He had never seen her bosom so prominently on display except in their bedroom. When it was next her turn, he went to the game room door and closed it. They were home alone, but he wanted to be sure of their solitude.

His turn was relatively uneventful. Upon Elizabeth's next one, she asked for his assistance but when he tried lining up her hands she protested. "No, guide me, with your own hands."

It took Darcy a moment to figure out what she wanted but when he did, he acquiesced immediately, leaning over her as he placed one hand on each of her arms, moving her right one gently to show her the necessary follow-through. She gave no indication of any reaction to having him pressed up against her, merely thanking him with a kiss on the cheek for his assistance after her ball went into the pocket.

She missed her next shot and, determined not to become some ravening beast, Darcy did his best to ignore Elizabeth as he pocketed two more balls. Then, her turn came again. She leaned over the table in a clear invitation.

Dropping his cue to the ground with a clatter, Darcy pressed himself against his wife's back. If she was startled, she showed no sign of it and continued to line up her shot until he took the cue from her hands and she pressed back into him.

"What are you doing to me, Lizzy, my love?" He growled in her ear.

Elizabeth smiled, she adored when he called her that. She communicated to him what she wanted without words.

They were distracted by their amorous activities and neither heard the door to the game room open.

"What's going on in he – ah!" Richard Fitzwilliam's eyes widened in shock as he saw the source of the noise that had driven him to investigate.

Darcy looked up at the interruption and was about to order his cousin out of the room.

Fortunately, Richard understood where he was not wanted and managed to force his unwilling legs to take him back out of the room. He closed the door behind him with a definitive click.

Stepping back, Darcy dressed both himself and his wife.

"Elizabeth, are you all right?"

She heaved a loud sigh without opening her eyes. "Of course I'm not alright, that was without a doubt the most embarrassing moment of my entire life." She covered her face with her hands. "Here, I thought Mrs. Reynolds handling my underwear was bad."

"It will be okay, Sweetheart. Would you like to take a shower?" He both wanted to talk about what had just happened and never wanted to mention it again.

"Yes, I really do, but I can't look at Richard. Is he still out there?"

Darcy stuck his head out the door and, seeing nobody, assured Elizabeth that the coast was clear. They hurried to the elevator and rode it in silence to the third floor, where she ran through their bedroom into the bathroom and shut the door.

-o-o-o-o-

Despite having hoped that they could share a shower, Darcy understood her reticence and sat on the bed and waited for his wife to emerge from the bathroom. When she finally did, she was wrapped in a terrycloth robe and sported a towel on her head, not making eye contact, she shuffled quickly past the bed and seated herself on the couch.

"Elizabeth, we have to talk about what happened." Darcy set down his book and joined her in the sitting area, choosing the armchair so that he could face her.

"No, we really don't. We don't always have to talk about everything, you know."

"Communication is a key -"

"What time is it?" She interrupted him.

Darcy glanced at his watch. "Eleven fifteen, why?"

"Why? Because Richard isn't supposed to even be here for almost another hour! Mrs. Reynolds and Georgie are both out shopping, we were supposed to have the house to ourselves. I thought it could be fun, to venture outside the bedroom and it was so cute how you were irrationally jealous of Richard -"

"Yes, about that," this time, he interrupted her, "are you attracted to my cousin?"

That got Elizabeth's attention and she stood as well, throwing the towel at him so that it hit him in the face; after making contact, it fell to the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm not attracted to anyone else. This isn't about Richard!"

He was upset, confused, and unprepared for the laughter that burst forth from her, a mighty change from her recent humiliation.

The burst of giggles quickly turned into hysterical laughter and Darcy looked at her for a moment, blinking slowly before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his wife. She buried her face in his chest to muffle the sounds she could not control and he rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

Eventually, Elizabeth calmed and she looked up at him, biting her lip as she formed the words in her head before she made her admission, averting her eyes every few words before attempting to look him in the eye again. "I planned so carefully for us to be alone in the house, then we were caught in the act." She shook her head. "My God, I can't go shopping with him now. Can you go get rid of him?"

He kissed her on the cheek, relieved that his fears had been unfounded, and left the room.

-o-o-o-o-

Ten minutes later, Darcy returned to the bedroom. Elizabeth was dressed and drying her hair, when she saw him arrive, she put down the appliance and regarded him expectantly.

"He still wants to go shopping today."

"Are you kidding? I can't look at him, not after what happened!"

"He has agreed to pretend he did not see anything."

"I wish I was so good at make-believe." She shook her head. "Why was he here so early anyway?"

Darcy related to her the whole of his conversation with his cousin, omitting only the part where he had been called a "lucky bastard" and congratulated heartily on his choice of spouse. He explained that Richard had been at the gym that morning, but a burst pipe had caused the showers to be unusable. Being close to the Darcy's house, he had elected to shower there instead of at his own home and used his keys to enter through the basement door. Upon hearing a noise in the game room, he had investigated and of course, Elizabeth knew the rest.

"Okay fine, I get that it wasn't malicious or anything, just bad timing," she admitted, "but that doesn't mean I can spend all afternoon with him looking at scarves or purses for his mother. It's just too weird."

"Please, Elizabeth, it is important to me that you two can get past this and get along."

"A few minutes ago, you thought I was attracted to him. You were all pissed off and irrationally jealous and now, suddenly you want us to be BFF?"

"I do not know what that means."

"Best Friends Forever, but that doesn't matter. I want to hear you explain yourself."

"I am sorry for distrusting your feelings, Sweetheart, I truly am."

"That's not an explanation." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Not that I don't appreciate the totally deserved apology."

"It is as you said, I was irrational." He offered no further explanation and she decided she would have to accept what he offered or throw another fit.

Elizabeth sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. Deciding it was dry enough for her needs, she pulled it into a ponytail. There was silence for some time as she thought over the situation. "I guess I can look for your present while we're out today. What do you want?"

"A lock for the game room door." Darcy answered without missing a beat.

She turned red again and smacked his arm.

"Too soon?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Elizabeth did not respond, but turned on her heel and marched downstairs, Darcy at her heels, and invited Richard, who waited in the kitchen, to have lunch before they left to go shopping.

-o-o-o-o-

Lunch was awkward, nobody particularly wanted to make eye contact with anybody else and everybody was afraid to begin a conversation, lest it somehow remind them of the recent embarrassment. When the meal was over, Elizabeth was relieved but also terrified, for it meant that she would have to be alone with Richard and she had no idea what they could discuss.

The car ride to the mall was silent until Richard switched on the radio. The songs were overplayed and the chatter inane, but the noise was enough to keep them from feeling the need to converse.

"So," Elizabeth finally ventured as they entered the first store, "whom do you have on your list this year?"

"My mom, Becky, Georgie, and Sandra. I mean, I have the men on there too, but I don't need as much help with them."

"Speaking of men, what kind of thing do you usually get Darcy?" She blushed when she said his name, but managed to resist the urge to duck behind a rack of clothes, although there was still no eye contact.

"He is tough to buy for, the man who has everything and all that. Last year, I got him a business card case. The year before that, it was cuff links. They are fairly generic gifts, but I usually get them personalized. The cuff links I had engraved with that crest he uses, the one with his initials and all the scrollwork."

"Yeah, he has stationery and a wax seal, I've even seen it stamped inside some of his books."

"Uncle George, Darcy's father had it designed for him as an eighteenth birthday gift. The stuff around his initials incorporates elements from old family crests, ones that haven't been in use for decades – centuries probably. Anyway, I think it's mostly a Darcy thing, but he had some Fitzwilliam bits put in there to make it more personalized for his son."

"That is a lovely story, no wonder he uses it so much. He tries to pretend otherwise, but he gets so emotionally attached to things sometimes." Elizabeth enjoyed hearing about her husband's relationship with his parents, enough that she forgot to be embarrassed for a few seconds and looked her companion right in the face.

As they wandered from store to store, Elizabeth gathered information about the Fitzwilliam women for whom Richard needed to buy gifts. She knew her own sister-in-law well enough to offer confident suggestions, of course. The afternoon wore on and slowly the pair relaxed, their awkward encounter all but forgotten, or at least repressed.

By the time they were hungry for dinner, every woman on Richard's list had been taken care of and he had an extra gift as well, which he insisted on purchasing on the chance that he might have a girlfriend by the holiday.

Elizabeth had rolled her eyes at the idea then helped him select a necklace that would look good on any woman.

-o-o-o-o-

They were on their way out of the mall, when they heard a female voice calling Richard's name. Stopping, they allowed her to catch up and Elizabeth was surprised at the strangeness with which her companion was regarding the woman, even as she hugged him.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" She asked in an enthusiastic manner. She was tall, the same height as Richard, although her stiletto heels made that possible, and she had more piercings than Elizabeth had ever before seen on a single person. There were bits of tattoos visible at her neckline and through her sheer sleeves, but her obviously bubbly personality belied her biker chick look.

"Of course, yes, Lizzy, this is Tanya my ex, ah, friend?" He seemed confused.

"Your ex-friend?" Elizabeth asked dubiously.

"No, no, ex-girlfriend, current friend, I guess." He stumbled through the introduction and turned to the other woman. "Tanya, this is Lizzy, my friend," he noted Tanya's raised eyebrows, "and cousin-in-law."

"Cool, it's nice to meet you, Lizzy. Have you seen Ricky's tattoo?"

Elizabeth could not help but smile at the nickname. "I can't say that I have. Ricky," she emphasized the sobriquet, "why haven't you shown it to me?"

"It's not exactly on a part of me you're likely to see." He blushed and although it was slight, Elizabeth felt an odd sort of triumph; she was not the only person to be embarrassed today. He cleared his throat and continued. "What's up Tanya?"

"I was just thinking that I only did the black part before we stopped seeing each other and if you want me to add the red accents, I'd be happy to, just come by the shop." She pecked him on the cheek and handed him a card. "Or give me a call!" Then she was off and Richard could do nothing but watch her go, confused at the whole exchange.

-o-o-o-o-

In the car later, Elizabeth broached the odd topic. "Are you going to let her do it, finish your tattoo?"

"I don't know. It doesn't seem wise to let an ex girlfriend near your ass with a tattoo gun even if she is qualified."

"Your ass, huh?" Richard missed the eyebrow she raised with her question, keeping his eyes studiously on the road.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Elizabeth decided to let it go for the moment, although she was fairly curious about what he had chosen to have permanently inked onto his body. "She doesn't seem to hold a grudge. Why did you two break up?"

"I don't even remember, it was just one of those things." He insisted vaguely. "It's been months now. I don't know why she even gave me her number, it hasn't changed. Besides, I see her occasionally at the gym and we're able to get along alright although 'friend' might have been overstating it."

"My goodness, men are so dumb, I don't know how you guys survive in the wild!"

"What do you mean?"

"She wants you back, it's super obvious."

He did not respond, furrowing his brow in thought.

-o-o-o-o-

Richard joined the Darcy family for dinner and they were all able to continue pretending nothing embarrassing had happened that morning. It helped that Georgiana was present and none of the adults wanted her to be aware of the situation.

When he left, Elizabeth felt surprisingly relieved. They had managed to spend the day together companionably but the idea of what her husband's cousin had witnessed still weighed upon her.

That night, once in bed with Darcy, she brought up their earlier conversation.

"I take it you're not jealous of him anymore since you encouraged me to go out with him today."

"I was not jealous, exactly."

"Really? Tell me then what that temper tantrum was about when I got out of the shower, then?"

"I suppose I was worried."

"About what?"

"I couldn't really say."

"Well, when you can say, be sure to let me know." Elizabeth rolled onto her side facing away from him.

Confused at what he would say to her when next forced to discuss the issue, Darcy remained silent and turned off the light. He spooned against her, almost afraid she would pull away, and was gratified that she relaxed in his embrace. Almost subconsciously, the arm that was draped over her waist ventured lower. He did not get far before Elizabeth's hand covered his own.

"Don't you think we've had enough today?"

Honestly, Darcy did not think anything of the sort, but silently acquiesced, allowing her hem to fall back into place as he put his arm back around her waist. He kissed the shell of her ear and buried his face in her hair as he breathed in the intoxicating scent that was pure Elizabeth. He pulled her more tightly against himself and eventually fell asleep.


	67. Chapter 67

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-67

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 79% intact_

_[ Once again: For those of you who have been reading my other story (_Scottish Air_, for which there is no edited version and I added another new chapter - __**16**__, posted more than a week ago) exclusively on my google site, I shall remind you again that I added an RSS feed and mailing list for the update page so that you can find out about both stories as I post them there. I will keep mentioning new _Scottish Air_ chapters here for the time being, but since this story will end before that one does, eventually THE ONLY WAY to find out about new _Scottish Air_ chapters will be the RSS feed, the mailing list, or just wandering by my site on a regular basis. You can go to my updates page by clicking the link on my homepage, then following the link there or you can remove the spaces in this address:_

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_Thanks, Kelly ]_

_I should also add my apologies that this chapter took so long, but I got behind and you probably know how the holidays can get. Anyway, this is basically a first draft, but I figured I would post it anyway since I have kept everyone waiting so very long._

**Chapter 67**

_Thursday 13 December – Wednesday 19 December_

When Elizabeth finished her last exam, she breathed a sigh of relief. She genuinely enjoyed school, the pursuit of knowledge was something that motivated her throughout her life, but she also planned to thoroughly enjoy her holiday break. Humming to herself, she made a few stops on her way home.

When she walked into the house later, her arms laden with bags, Georgiana rushed to help.

"What is all this, Lizzy?"

"Decorations. It doesn't look like Christmas around here and I mean to change that." She opened a bag and the scent of pine needles wafted out of it.

"We've never decorated much, since we always go out of town for the holiday. What did you get?"

"Not too much, I wouldn't want to shock you guys all at once; a wreath for the front door," she indicated the open bag, "some garlands for the porch, scented pinecones," opening that bag filled the entire kitchen with a warm, spicy odor, "and mistletoe, of course!"

The teenager giggled. "As if William needs any more reasons to kiss you!" Her laughter was infectious and the two ladies smiled as they went about putting up the decorations.

-o-o-o-o-

When Darcy pulled into the driveway that afternoon, he was surprised to notice a red garland draped in graceful arcs across the porch railing. He slowed to a stop and stared at the house for a moment, looking for other changes. The large wreath on the front door was the only other noticeable change. The early dark of winter made its twinkling lights stand out and he smiled. This must be Elizabeth's doing. They had not decorated for Christmas since his mother had hosted their extended family so many years ago. Georgiana had been just a baby then, unable to even sit on her own. His thoughts turned melancholy and he shook his head as if trying to dislodge them, then drove forward into the garage.

The first thing he noticed, upon entering the house, was the welcoming aroma that filled his nostrils. He did not know exactly what it was, but somehow, it smelled like Christmas. The sound of a piano drew him toward the living room, but the moment he reached the room's threshold, the music stopped and he was assaulted by a pair of lips on each cheek.

"What the - " Darcy said, startled when both his assailants pulled away from him, giggling.

"You're standing under mistletoe." His sister pointed out to him, gesturing at the sprig of leaves and berries that hung suspended from the ceiling.

He looked up, then regarded the two women seriously for a moment before speaking. "As delightful a surprise as that was, it was not a proper mistletoe kiss. This . . ." He grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her to him, pressing his lips against hers not at all gently. Startled at first, Elizabeth wrapped her arms about his neck in surprise before she relaxed into the kiss, opening her mouth to let his tongue explore for several moments before she remembered their location and audience and reluctantly pulled her mouth away from hers while still remaining in his arms. He leaned forward until they were nose to nose and finished his sentence in a whisper. ". . . is a proper mistletoe kiss."

Letting out a shaky breath, Elizabeth wondered to herself if it would always be this way when he kissed her, exciting and breathtaking, even once they had been married for decades. She fervently hoped it would be. The day he kissed her and her knees did not go weak was not one she wanted to see. Still, her sister-in-law was there and she had to compose herself for the teenager's sake. She looked around, confused. "Where's Georgie?"

"I don't know, you must have scared her off with your wanton behavior." Darcy winked and Elizabeth blushed a bit, not really embarrassed but still wary of displaying their passion before an audience. Seeing her slight discomfort, he changed the subject. " I love what you did on the porch, Sweetheart, and the house smells delightful. Have you been baking?"

"Cinnamon scented pinecones in the foyer," she admitted, "although I plan to make cookies later. I have time now that the term is over."

"Yes, you had an exam today, how did that go?"

"Quite well, thank you." She dismissed the topic. "Would you like to see where else I put mistletoe, or should it be a surprise?"

"I can think of excellent reasons to choose either option." He kissed her briefly and smiled. "What made you decide to decorate in such a manner?"

"I was just thinking that this house doesn't look festive at all. I know there's no point in putting up a tree, we won't be here for Christmas Day, but we can do a little something. The wreath smells piney, we can get one for inside somewhere too, maybe. Also, Goodrich agreed to help me put lights up in front of the house tomorrow." She seemed as excited as a child and he could not keep himself from playfully kissing her nose, eliciting an even wider smile. "I don't have anything too garish planned, I promise, but I would like to add a string of lights to the garland on the porch and maybe wrap a few strands around the trees in the yard."

"Please promise you will be careful, it can be so slippery outside. I do not want you climbing any ladders or - "

Elizabeth did not let him finish. In fact, she placed a hand over his mouth to keep him from doing so. "I'm a grownup, remember?" He nodded, her hand still preventing his speech. "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself." She let go of his mouth and smiled teasingly. "Besides, I plan to make Goodrich do all of the ladder climbing. My mom always said there are two useful kinds of men in the world, the ones who can do things for you, and the ones who can pay others to do so. Here, I have one of each."

Darcy elected to ignore her teasing as was often the case when she invoked some saying of Mrs. Bennet, and concentrated only on her plans for the decorations. "Thank you." Unable to stop himself, he kissed her again, just a small peck on the lips, this time. He felt a romance to the season that he had never noticed before and was determined to embrace it.

She decided to change the subject. "How long has it been since you've had a Christmas tree in the house?"

"Sixteen years." He did not specify the reason, but she easily understood it. "Since then we have always gone out of town."

"What would you think if next year we hosted Christmas here?" His eyebrows raised in surprise. "We could invite the Fitzwilliams and your relatives in California; maybe even my family."

"That sounds ambitious." Darcy tried to think of a way to dissuade her without insulting the Bennets directly.

"Well, maybe we'll see how they get along at the wedding first."

"Our wedding! We have not spoken much of it, I assume there is much to do for that."

"Not really, the wedding planner is pretty great. I told her basically what we wanted and gave her that guest list we decided on and she's been taking care of it. That woman really is worth the gobs of money you're paying her."

"Excellent, I prefer it that way so you have more time for me."

"Until January seventh," Elizabeth purred, naming the date that the new term would start, "I have nothing but time."

He gave her a deliberately restrained kiss and they headed off to find out what had become of Georgiana, stopping along the way only to respect the mistletoe.

-o-o-o-o-

That weekend, Elizabeth solicited her sister-in-law's help and together, they baked hundreds of cookies. Darcy watched incredulously as Elizabeth carefully wrapped them and placed a variety into each of several boxes that lined the edge of the dining room table.

"Do you even know this many people?" He asked dubiously.

She laughed and pointed to each box in turn as she spoke. "My family in Michigan, your aunt and uncle in Boston, your cousin Robert's family, your grandmother, my grandmother, Richard, Jane and Charles, the Gardin – oh!" She was interrupted when he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.

"You are an amazing and generous woman."

"Hey, I helped, too!" Georgiana protested as she came in from the kitchen.

"Of course, Georgie, you are amazing as well." He pressed a kiss to the top of his sister's head and pulled her close with an arm about her shoulders, ruminating on the fact that there was nothing in the world better than family.

-o-o-o-o-

The next week, Georgiana was off from school as well and the two had fun together doing final Christmas shopping and visiting museums. After lunch one day, Jane joined them at a bridal shop to try on dresses, having taken the afternoon off expressly for the purpose.

"I thought you were having a wedding planner take care of everything, did something happen with that?." Jane said as she modeled a green strapless dress. "I like Georgie's better." The younger girl was wearing a single-strapped blue number and she wrinkled her nose to show her disagreement.

Watching the two women twirl for her, the bride-to-be smiled inwardly, she was proud of Georgiana's personal growth. Just a few months ago, she might have nodded to pretend agreement with Jane just to avoid conflict. Although she would likely never be truly confrontational, the teenaer was clearly beginning to understand that her opinion had merit.

Elizabeth addressed Jane's question first. "No, the wedding planner's great. She gave me some dress ideas, but I think it's something I have to see to decide. I definitely have to try on the big white dress myself, but I hope that won't be so bad; I'm not too picky. She's actually going to join us here in," Elizabeth looked at her watch, "half an hour, so we need to work on narrowing down our selections." She pulled a pencil and pad of paper out of her purse. "Now, Georgie, what don't you like about the dress you're wearing?"

Both Jane and Georgiana were quite efficient models, so within their half hour time limit, the ladies had narrowed down the bridesmaid dresses to four choices. They were discussing the various merits of each when a slight ruckus drew their attention to the front of the store.

The proprietor of the shop was enthusiastically greeting a petite woman with an enormous handbag. Once the newcomer caught sight of Elizabeth, she was hugging her as well. "Jane, Georgie, this is Julie Chao, my wedding planner extraordinaire."

Julie greeted the women then, suddenly all business, she looked from one to the other, immediately rejecting the pink chiffon dress that Georgiana wore. "That one won't go at all with the flowers we picked." She informed Elizabeth definitively.

It took only a few more minutes of discussion before they decided on green tea length dresses with wide shoulder straps for the bridesmaids and moved on to selecting a wedding gown. Having taken care of the attendants so quickly, Elizabeth had high hopes for the efficiency of her selection.

However, it was many hours later that, having managed to narrow down options for "the big white dress" only as far as two, she declared herself done for the day.

-o-o-o-o-

That night, as was their habit when preparing for bed, Elizabeth and Darcy discussed their respective activities.

"I was so tired of trying things on by the end of the day, I just don't see the point!" She complained.

"If you do not like the dresses at that store, I am sure there are other options, or we could contract a designer to have one custom made for you."

"Don't you see?" Elizabeth asked her husband, exasperated. "That would make it worse, it's not the dress, it's the whole thing with the decisions and the guests and the extravagance. I just don't get why we have to spend this much on a wedding!" She threw herself onto the bed in a huff.

"Elizabeth, you know the expense is of no consequence, and I thought that the wedding planner was handling the decisions so you do not have to take so much upon yourself."

"She is and she's great, really. I only have to approve of her choices and she has excellent taste."

"Then what is the problem?"

"Despite what you say, the cost still bothers me and she can't try on dresses for me. I had no idea that one decision could involve so much work. Do you know how I spent my afternoon?" Darcy indicated that he did not. "I shoved my body into thirteen different wedding gowns and when I say 'I' what I really mean is the women at the bridal shop who have now touched me in places that only you had before."

"Really, tell me about it." He lay down on his side next to her and raised an eyebrow in mock anticipation of the tale.

"It wasn't sexy, Fitzwilliam, it was uncomfortable. They had to tape and pin me into every single dress and I didn't look like me, I looked like some department store mannequin. I don't know why women put themselves through this. What's the point of all this crap anyway?"

Her question was rhetorical, but he answered it anyway, sounding hurt. "The point is to get married, do you not want to marry me?"

"I don't know, if the dress is this much work, I can't imagine what the invitations will be like, even with Julie's immense help. It's like karma is getting me for saying last week that this was a cake walk – oh my God, the cake! We haven't even talked about cake." She covered her face with her hands and sighed again.

"I am still stuck on the notion that you do not want to be married to me."

"What?" Elizabeth sat up abruptly. "I never said that."

"You most certainly did, just a moment ago." He rose more slowly and did not take his eyes off of her as she furrowed her brow in thought, recalling the last few exchanges of their conversation.

She eventually figured out what comment had upset him. "I meant I wasn't sure about the wedding, it has nothing to do with being married to you."

"Elizabeth, weddings have everything to do with being married."

"Oh, you are so a guy. First of all, weddings aren't about commitment, they're about showing off, to put on a bit to-do just because you can. This isn't for us, it's for our families and friends, for photo albums and future stories. Second of all, we're already married. Whether we have a ridiculously extravagant ceremony to appease the masses or not; you're my husband, I'm your wife and that's for keeps; we even have a piece of paper to prove it, all legal and binding, you made sure of that." She leaned over and kissed him on his tense cheek. "I don't even mind marrying you again in front of all those people, I'm kind of looking forward to it in theory, it's just that it's so complicated. A part of me wants to give up and wear what I wore the last time."

Darcy finally smiled. "That dress does have a special place in my heart now." He kissed just below her ear. "You can wear the same underwear," he whispered, "nobody would have to know."

She laughed. "Oh, yeah, that would look great in pictures, my red and black bra with a white gown."

"It does not have to be white, we both know you are not exactly qualified to wear that color anymore." He said in a teasing voice as he began to untie her robe.

"Do you think you can impugn a lady's honor like that without consequences?" She looked down at him, nearly lying across her lap and could not suppress her smile.

"I would be impugning it right now if you had not tied this in a knot, Sweetheart." He shifted so that he could use both hands to work the tie. "Promise me one thing, your wedding dress will be easy to remove."

She leaped up from the bed, dislodging him in the process. "Thank you!" She worked the tie of the robe herself, loosing it in seconds.

"You are welcome, I suppose, but why?"

"You made my decision for me. There were two dresses I was considering, but one has a bunch of tiny little buttons," he made a face which she ignored, "and the other has a hidden zipper."

"See, when you have difficult decisions to make, you can always ask me. Isn't that what husbands are for?"

She slapped his chest in protest but he hardly noticed, since beneath her robe, Elizabeth wore one of his favorite nighties. Ruminating on that thought for a moment, Darcy realized that they were all his favorite. All the ones she had bought lately, at least. She had a few older things and that set with pants that she had bought for when they were guests. As adorable as she looked in them, he would be happy to never see them again.

Pleased with what she was wearing now, he turned off the light and brought her back to bed.


	68. Chapter 68

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

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_This chapter is 99% intact_

_[ I am going to stop posting here about new Scottish Air chapters, but I am generally staggering my posts until this story is finished. Check out the update page of my google site for more information.]_

_Again, I am sorry that the chapters are taking progressively longer to post, although not sorry enough to neglect my other responsibilities to speed it up, I admit. I would be lying if I promised to write faster in the future, but I will promise to try not to slow down any more and I have no plans of abandoning my story. As each chapter takes longer to write, I also have less time to edit them, so there may be more mistakes with every post as well, I will do my best to keep those in check. On a bright note, I think this is the longest chapter yet! I hope it satisfies :)_

**Chapter 68**

_Saturday 22 December – Friday 28 December_

Once again, the Darcys shared a first class cabin with Richard on their flight to Boston. Georgiana sat next to him and played cards while her brother and sister-in-law snuggled together across the aisle.

They were picked up by a limousine service and driven to the home of Robert and Rachel Fitzwilliam which was decorated quite festively, a sharp contrast from what the Darcy house might have been without Elizabeth's influence. They all settled into their rooms, then headed off to the other family house in town in order to see the smallest Fitzwilliam.

Georgiana and Elizabeth had quite enjoyed themselves shopping for baby Kevin. They had purchased blocks and balls and stuffed animals, some far too advanced for his current level of motor skills. Several items, even a few identical ones, had also been purchased for little Helen Gardiner, but restraint had managed to prevail a bit more in that instance, as Elizabeth worried about making the baby girl's older brothers suffer in comparison. She had no such compunction regarding the child here in Boston.

If Kevin Fitzwilliam had been old enough to believe in Santa Claus, he would have been sure to think that the jolly old elf was more than generous. As it stood, even days before Christmas, there was almost no room left under his grandparents' Christmas tree for anybody else's gifts. Still, the adults managed to squeeze them in where they could and the overall display was quite impressive.

They all enjoyed holding the baby in turn and Darcy was quite proud that he managed to keep himself from saying anything regarding their own future children that might sound like undue pressure to his wife. He was content to watch her coo over the infant, encouraging the little one to grab her finger or even her nose, and keep his thoughts to himself.

-o-o-o-o-

Their visit was progressing amiably until Christmas Eve, when a new guest, or rather a pair of them, joined the party an hour before dinner was to be served.

Catherine DeBourgh stormed into the living room, followed by a nervous looking Anne and a furious looking Richard, laden with more suitcases than a few nights' stay should require. Nobody in the room fooled themselves into thinking they might be filled with presents. The woman was notorious for gifting stock certificates as gifts. She was generous but not remotely whimsical. After all, she thought, even children needed to develop their investment portfolios.

"So, you finally deign to grace us with your presence?" She spoke accusingly at Darcy, failing completely to greet the rest of the family. "It is bad enough when you ignore us for your father's family, but to put those people ahead of us – it is unconscionable!" Her eyes flicked to Elizabeth as she spoke and there was no question in anybody's mind to which people she referred.

"We spent Thanksgiving with family, Catherine." Darcy stressed the woman's name to emphasize that he neglected to refer to their relationship.

"They are not your family, we are your family." She was irate and brushed off her brother's hand when he put it on her shoulder to calm her.

"When I married Elizabeth, they became my family just as the Fitzwilliams became hers." He looked toward his wife who sat on the floor with Georgiana where they had been attempting to engage little Kevin in a game of peek-a-boo until the new arrivals had garnered everybody's attention.

"I will never consider that girl my family!"

"That is for the best, it is hardly a fate I would wish upon an acquaintance and certainly not upon the love of my life." Darcy kept his voice even, refusing to rise to Catherine's anger. When she raised her voice again and began ranting about the degradation that was her nephew's marriage, the gentleman in question pointedly ignored her and turned to his cousin who had set down the suitcases and was pouring himself a drink. "Has she been like this since the airport?"

"Oh yes," the other man gritted his teeth and downed his bourbon all at once, immediately pouring himself another glass. "Poor Anne flew with her and has been hearing it for hours."

"Try months." The younger woman spoke for the first time since she had arrived and took the newly filled glass from Richard's hand, ignoring his protests as she took a sip and moved to the sofa with what was now her beverage.

Finally realizing nobody was paying her any attention, Catherine DeBourgh gave an imperious huff and announced her need to change for dinner, glaring at Richard until, with a sigh, he gave up his quest for a second drink and began to hoist her luggage to take it up the stairs.

-o-o-o-o-

Dinner that night was mostly polite. Whenever something rude was said from the cantankerous guest, it was ignored and she eventually gave up, although she steadfastly refused to speak to her nephew's wife or acknowledge her presence in any way.

Elizabeth was secretly pleased to be getting the silent treatment since she had nothing to say to the woman herself. She was also quite proud of her husband for responding in such a calm manner even with such provocation. They had discussed the probable antagonism they would face and had decided that it was best not to get riled up, which would only exacerbate the problem, but she had been unsure whether he would be able to stick to the agreement once he heard his aunt's vitriol aloud again.

Although the catered dishes were delicious, as expected, there was more of a relaxed nature to the holiday dinner than was usual for the family due to the presence of an infant just starting on solid foods. The food, rice cereal and puréed green beans, did not seem so solid to the people on whom it landed after being flung by the giggling baby. This behavior was generally indulged until a bit fell on Catherine DeBourgh.

Standing abruptly, her ire clearly raised again, Catherine bemoaned the loss of her silk blouse, which was apparently brand-new and quite expensive. Rachel Fitzwilliam tried to calm her sister-in-law by assuring her that the local dry cleaner was quite effective and offering to buy her a new blouse if it should prove irrevocably stained.

Catherine's suggestion that somebody should teach her great nephew some manners was greeted with laughter, which upset her so much that she stormed out of the room complaining about the hussy who had turned her own family against her. With one last pointed look at Elizabeth, she was gone.

"I think you need a reward for that." Elizabeth said to Kevin conspiratorially, "I wonder if your mommy brought over any pureed candy."

"I don't think they make that," Sandra said with a smile as she reached into the diaper bag, "but I do have applesauce." She handed the tiny jar to Elizabeth who accepted it with a smile.

"Don't tell anybody I said this," Elizabeth spoke seriously to the baby as she opened the jar, "but that green stuff is gross. You'll like this way better." She was rewarded with a raspberry blown in her direction, causing a mouthful of the very green stuff she was insulting to rain in her direction. "That's right," she cooed, still smiling as she used a napkin to wipe some from her face, "can you do that to Great Auntie Catherine tomorrow?"

"Gah!" Kevin replied, grabbing a strand of her hair in his cereal-covered hand.

As Elizabeth fed the baby his applesauce she did not realize how many eyes were upon her, each set belonging to somebody comparing her behavior favorably to that of their blood relation, Catherine DeBourgh.

-o-o-o-o-

After dessert, Bob and Sandra Fitzwilliam declined to stay any longer as their son seemed ready to fall asleep. Elizabeth excused herself as well, desiring to take a shower before the baby food in her hair dried too much to wash out easily.

She had just undressed in the bathroom when she heard a knock upon the door.

"Who is it?"

"Since when do you lock me out, Elizabeth?"

"Since you're not the only one here." Elizabeth wrapped a towel around her body before opening the door to her husband who was wearing nothing but his underwear. He joined her in the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

"I concede your point."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need help washing your hair."

"Yes, a valid concern since I have only been doing that by myself for some eighteen years." Although she spoke sarcastically, she removed her towel and started the shower, looking at him expectantly after stepping into it.

Very quickly, Darcy was standing with her beneath the fall of water. "I have to say that I prefer our shower at home."

"Why is that, Fitzwilliam?" Elizabeth asked rhetorically as she moved to give him as much room as possible in the small space. He gave her a look that implied the obvious and although she agreed with his silent assessment, she felt the need to point out one advantage held by this guest bathroom. "I don't know," she mused as she turned around, "there is something to be said for cramped quarters. They bring us closer together." She punctuated her statement by bumping into him as she bent forward to retrieve the shampoo.

"I suppose it is true that we could not possibly be closer." He agreed as he took the bottle from her hands.

"Well, I can think of one way." Elizabeth did not have to elaborate and her shampoo was postponed for several minutes as she allowed her husband to come even closer to her than he already was. They managed without making too much noise, or so they thought until a few minutes later when they had disengaged and Darcy's fingers were massaging shampoo through his wife's hair; a faint noise came from the door to the bedroom.

They ignored it, assuming whoever had come to summon them downstairs would go away but that was not to be, since the bedroom itself not lock. Soon, they heard a much closer noise, a veritable pounding on the bathroom door itself.

"Oh my God," Elizabeth moaned in despair, "if we get caught twice in one month, it means we're doing something wrong."

"We are doing nothing wrong, Sweetheart, and we did not get caught this time; the door is locked. Also, we are finished."

She took a little comfort in the fact and, as her hair was still full of suds, moved to let Darcy out of the shower so that he could see what was the matter while she hid behind the thankfully opaque shower curtain to rinse.

"Who is it?" Darcy called as he secured a towel about his waist, wishing that his bathrobe was not in Chicago.

There was no reply, merely another series of loud knocks followed by a pause and finally, a most unpleasant voice. "I know what that slut is doing to you and I will not have it in this house!"

He sighed deeply and made no move to open the door. "First of all, Catherine, this is not your house so you have no say in what goes on in it and second, you have no idea what is occurring behind this door."

"How dare you refer to me in such a rude manner, I am your aunt and I deserve your respect."

"You deserve nothing!" Darcy raised his voice to a shout, but whether it was out of anger or necessity when communicating through a thick wooden door, Elizabeth was unsure. She worked conditioner into her hair as the argument continued.

"You used to be such a nice young man, William. Don't you see what that trollop has done to you? She's making you sever ties with your family."

"I have no idea whom you mean." Darcy was proud of himself for refusing to rise to his aunt's vitriolic name calling.

"That Elizabeth girl, she is seducing you away from your family."

"I had only one family member who has any objection to my union and since I have ceased to consider that poisonous harpy my aunt any longer, all of my family is pleased with my marriage."

"I do not - "

"All my family, Catherine."

Darcy was starting to fear that he would be forced to open the door without his clothes and bodily remove the woman. Thankfully, his aunt and uncle arrived to save him from such an indignity.

"What is going on in here?" Robert Fitzwilliam demanded.

"That little tramp William calls a wife is doing God knows what to him in there and he continues to insult me!"

"Catherine, you don't belong in here," Rachel Fitzwilliam's voice was strained as if she was talking to a spoiled child, "this is William and Lizzy's room.

"It most certainly is not. This is not even their home yet they insist upon sullying it."

"Nobody is sullying anything."

"I heard them doing unspeakable things just moments ago, my room is on the other side of the bathroom." At that moment, the sound of the shower stopped and she stared at the door intently as if expecting the couple to emerge immediately.

"Well," her brother interjected, "if the things are so unspeakable, we'd better not speak about them, then." His attempt at humor fell flat, but his point was valid enough to cause even Catherine DeBourgh to be silent for a moment.

Unfortunately, it was not a particularly long moment. "I insist that Fitzwilliam behave like a proper adult immediately."

Unable to stop herself, Rachel added, "I get the feeling that his acting like an adult was exactly what upset you in the first place." She thought she heard a snort of laughter from behind the bathroom door but could not be sure.

Suddenly, another person appeared in the open doorway. "Aunt Catherine, I don't know why -"

"Shut up, Anne, this doesn't concern you!"

"It doesn't? I thought the problem was that you wanted William to marry me instead." The timid woman's voice gained strength. "I like Lizzy, she makes him happy."

"You are a child and have no idea what is going on." Catherine huffed, then turned back to her brother and his wife, ready to release another stream of vitriol. She was interrupted before she could do so.

"Catherine, if it's going to upset you so much to be in the room next to William and his wife," Robert emphasized the relationship, "perhaps it would be best if you stayed in a hotel. I'll make you a reservation and you can borrow my car."

"You would eject me and Anne in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve?" She sounded truly appalled.

"Of course not," a look of pride began to come over her face but was arrested when he finished his thought, "Anne has behaved perfectly well and is always welcome to stay here." The young woman gave him a grateful look.

"I can hardly be expected to drive myself at this time of night in an unfamiliar city."

"Richard can take you."

"You cannot be serious, Robert! What has that gold-digger done to make you turn on your own family in such a way?"

"Elizabeth, who is a delightful young woman despite your childish name-calling, makes William happy, treats everybody well, and is wholly undeserving of your appalling bitchiness." As he spoke the last word, Catherine raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist and held it as he looked her in the eye. "You will return to your room and pack while I make a phone call."

The look in her brother's eyes was so fierce that she agreed, although she displayed the maximum haughty attitude possible as she strode out the door, followed immediately by Anne, who scurried in the opposite direction.

Once alone in the bedroom, Rachel knocked gently on the bathroom door. "She'll be gone in an hour, you two should feel free to be yourselves now." She then left the room, closing the door firmly in the hopes that they would hear the click.

-o-o-o-o-

"I can't decide whether that was better or worse than when Richard caught us last month."

"Nobody caught us, Elizabeth," Darcy had been towel drying her hair as they listened and waited for the strange happenings in their bedroom to finish, "Catherine was just hurling accusations and Uncle Robert and Aunt Rachel do not care what happened in here. Besides, they are a little occupied at the moment with getting rid of the crazy bitch."

"I feel bad about tearing your family apart, especially this time of year."

"You heard my uncle, you didn't do anything wrong. This is all on Catherine, Sweetheart; she was given ample opportunity to accept you and she has refused."

"Poor Anne, Catherine is really her only connection to this family."

"Maybe that was true once, when we were children, but I have considered her a cousin for a very long time now and I know the others do as well. You two have become friends recently, haven't you?" The question was obviously directed at his wife but he did not look at her, instead opening the bathroom door and poking his head out of it to assure himself that the coast was clear. "We can leave, the room is empty now."

"I don't know if I would use the word friends yet, but we get along just fine. Maybe we're on our way to it. Anyway, I do like her now that I know her some." Elizabeth followed her husband out into the bedroom and although it seemed unoccupied, she hurriedly donned pajamas, including her robe, not wishing to be seen again in any less than demure position.

Darcy moved more slowly but soon he, too, was dressed for bed. "Should we go downstairs?"

"I have no idea. I don't want to see Catherine again but I don't want her to think we're afraid of her either."

The decision was soon made for them when, far earlier than the hour that Robert had promised, they saw a car emerge from the garage and drive off into the night. Relieved, they made their way to the living room.

-o-o-o-o-

"Where did you book her a room?" Darcy asked his uncle when they found him indulging in a drink.

"The Four Seasons, I am sure she would accept nothing less, although I was sorely tempted to call a Days Inn just to upset her."

"That hotel, booked last minute on a holiday must be very expensive," Darcy noted, "I will pay for it."

"The price is well worth it to be rid of her, it would be a bargain at twice the price. I consider it a Christmas gift to myself."

"To all of us as well, thank you Uncle Robert."

"Yes, thank you." Elizabeth added, kissing the older man on the cheek.

When Richard returned later, he was supremely annoyed at being forced to spend one-on-one time with his cantankerous aunt, but he reported having delivered her safely to her hotel and seen her settled in to her room.

The Darcys thanked him for his sacrifice and they all went to bed.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, when Bob and Sandra arrived with Kevin, they were surprised but not particularly dismayed to see that Catherine was missing from the group. The family ate breakfast together, making a special effort to include Anne in the conversation, and moved to the living room to open presents.

Although it was true that most of the presents were for Kevin, which they all took turns helping him open, nobody had any reason to feel deprived.

Rachel specifically complimented her second son on his improved taste in gifts and did not miss it when he winked at Elizabeth while accepting the praise. She knew it was no coincidence how well the gloves and scarf the Darcys had given her matched Richard's offering of a purse. Becky called from California to wish them a merry Christmas and thank everybody for the gifts they had mailed to her.

It was oddly comforting to Elizabeth, although she would never have admitted it out loud, that as wealthy and influential as the Fitzwilliams were, their daughter still had to pay her dues like any other medical resident. Still, she understood that the other woman was missed and thought it too bad that she did not live close enough to stop by between shifts. After all, this was a time for families to be together.

Ruminating on that thought, she hesitatingly suggested that Catherine might be called to join them.

"Elizabeth, you cannot be serious, that woman is crazy." Her husband pointed out, his eyes wide with shock at her recommendation.

"I know, I just think it's possible that she's repented, you know, spending the holiday alone and all. Maybe if we give her a chance, she'll prove us right."

"Catherine has never proved anybody right if she could help it. Trust me, I've known her for her entire life." Robert said with a sigh. "If she comes here under her own steam and apologizes, she can join us, but not until then." He spoke with finality and the family returned to their festivities.

It was Darcy's turn to open a gift next and he marveled at the beautifully wrought family tree Elizabeth had commissioned for him. It traced his heritage back for several generations and featured small photographs or paintings of several members. There were various family crests displayed in the branches and his own seal affixed below his name, which was connected by a line to hers. There was some blank space below, where he assumed the names of their children could be added in the future.

"Oh, Elizabeth, this is . . . " He kissed her as he thought of what to say next. "My gift seems inadequate by comparison."

She laughed, giving him a peck on the cheek, wary of their audience. "I don't think anybody could consider jewelry like this inadequate." She gestured to her ears and neck, where diamonds and emeralds sparkled. He had ordered jewelry custom made to match her ring and the green so close to her face only made her eyes shine more.

"Those were a gift to myself since they look so beautiful on you." He muttered, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck and pulling her against his side.

Several books, sweaters, and baby toys later, it was Elizabeth's turn to open a gift; her last. "This one is from Richard." She announced as she began to tear the paper. All eyes were on her as her face quickly turned red. "It's a book." She mumbled as she quickly shoved it into a briefcase she had received earlier.

"What kind of book?" Bob asked, either supremely unaware of her embarrassment or curious enough to ignore it. There was also the possibility that he was purposefully torturing her, but that was likely left to his younger brother, who spoke up next.

"Show him, Lizzy."

"It doesn't matter, it's not interesting, just a book." She spoke more quickly than her usual tone and everybody's interest began to pique.

"Well, now I am dying to know." Rachel admitted and she leaned forward, quickly grabbing the book from the its hiding place and looking at the cover before exclaiming in surprise. "Oh!" and trying to hide the cover with her hand.

"_Position of the Day_,*" Georgiana read out loud as her sister-in-law cursed her excellent vision, "what – oh!" The teenager blushed immediately and Richard began to snicker.

Bob took the book from his mother and read the subtitle, "_Sex Every Day in Every Way_," then burst out laughing, shoving the book back where Elizabeth had tried to hide it.

Rachel made a 'tsk' noise and slapped Richard on the shoulder. "You shouldn't embarrass your cousins on purpose." Then she looked at Elizabeth apologetically. "I brought him up better than this, I swear."

"Well, you can't win them all." The younger woman managed to concede before shooting a glare at her still chortling cousin-in-law. She spared a glance for her husband who seemed mildly embarrassed but was also regarding the briefcase curiously, as if he very much wanted to page through the book immediately. She zipped shut the compartment that held it, hoping to stave off temptation before he could give in to it.

People were still laughing as the last few gifts were opened.

-o-o-o-o-

"I can't believe Richard did that!" Elizabeth fumed when she was alone with her husband at last that evening.

"I can, it is just the sort of thing we used to do to each other as kids. Well, not just the sort of thing, but a practical joke, I mean. He did also buy you that scarf."

"This is not about whether I got a good present, this is about embarrassing me in front of your family."

"I think he meant it to embarrass me."

"Yet he put my name on it."

"Yes, that was uncalled for, I suppose." He began leafing through the book. "We should try this one."

Elizabeth flushed pink again but looked at the page he indicated and seriously considered it. "Fine, but not here."

"Agreed." Darcy kissed her gently and put the book away. Even without it, he was certainly not bereft of ideas.

-o-o-o-o-

They were having lunch on the day after Christmas when there was a knock on the door. The housekeeper returned quickly to the dining room and announced the visitor, Catherine DeBourgh, who entered behind her.

"I have come to collect Anne, we are returning home at once."

"I thought our tickets were for the 28th!" The younger woman was loath to leave when she felt so accepted by the family.

"I managed to change them, at great personal expense and difficulty." Nobody there thought for an instant that she had dealt with reservations herself. More likely either she had importuned the staff of The Four Seasons or she had interrupted the holiday of her poor, put-upon secretary to assist her in the endeavor. "You will come with me, now."

"Thank you, no." A deafening silence fell upon the room. None of them had heard Anne refuse Catherine before and they all waited with bated breath to see how her aunt would respond.

"You ungrateful little wretch! Do you think they desire your company when they have rejected mine? I am your only connection to these people!" Catherine's cold demeanor gave way to violent ire.

"Anne is always welcome here," Rachel said coldly, "as would you be if you could get along with everybody."

Her sister-in-law ignored her. "Anne, if you do not come with me this instant, do not bother coming home at all."

"Perhaps that is for the best." Anne's voice trembled slightly, but she remained calm. "I am an adult now and have never lived alone."

"I will have you fired!" Catherine's face was darkening with rage.

"I'll find another position."

"You have no need to." Darcy joined the conversation. "You have been doing an admirable job as director of the Fitzwilliam foundation for over a year now and cannot be let go without a vote of the board. Catherine is only one vote and though I am as well, you have my support."

"And mine." Robert Fitzwilliam added. "Catherine can't do anything to you without our approval."

"As Anne's trustee, I control her money until she is twenty-five!" The angry woman crowed triumphantly.

"I have my own savings, Aunt Catherine, and I can wait seventeen months to get the rest, although I would like to maintain a relationship with you if possible." She raised her eyes and looked her aunt in the eye as if challenging her to dispute rationality. Unfortunately, she was not disappointed.

"I shall never see you again, Anne, not until you apologize for betraying me!" In a huff, Catherine turned on her heel and stormed out of the house.

Nobody mentioned her for the rest of the day.

-o-o-o-o-

Two days later, a large group headed to the airport to leave. Darcy had offered to purchase Anne a ticket, but Rachel had done so instead, buying one for herself as well. She did not feel as though they ought to send Anne alone to find an apartment and move out of her aunt's home. Despite Anne's age and intelligence, she was completely unprepared to deal with the terrifying reality of urban real estate and the personal difficulties which were sure to come from the break with Catherine DeBourgh.

As they hugged farewell in the terminal, Anne was offered promises of aid from all of her not-quite-relations in Chicago should she need it. She had never felt so much like a part of the family and relished it. Later, when ruminating upon the change, she supposed that the Fitzwilliams were among the reasons she had always wanted to accede to her aunt's wish that she marry Darcy, it would make her a real part of the family. It seemed now that they had always been there for her but she had never seen it, blinded either by Catherine's influence or her own shyness. Finally, Anne had the family she craved and they would help her to get the freedom she deserved.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*In some ways, this book is more funny than actually instructional as some positions are likely not physically possible (although it also contains many workable ideas).


	69. Chapter 69

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-69

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_Of course, it doesn't matter for this chapter, they are identical except for formatting._

_[ I am going to stop posting here about specific new Scottish Air chapters, but I am generally staggering my posts until this story is finished. Check out the update page of my google site for more information.]_

_I am so sorry about how long this chapter took to post, it took forever to write too despite not being super exciting. The problem was a combination of a lack of ideas and a lot of non-fanfic things that I had to get done. I cannot make any promises, but I will try to not make you all wait quite so long next time._

**Chapter 69**

_Monday 31 December – Wednesday 9 January_

For New Year's Eve, Darcy and Elizabeth were to attend a black tie party at Charles Bingley's house. Georgiana had been invited as well but, much to her brother's consternation, she had instead chosen to accompany her boyfriend John to a party held by one of his friends. Before leaving however, she was forced to listen to a long lecture about the dangers of alcohol.

"This is serious, Georgie. Do not drink and do not get into a car with anybody who has been drinking."

"I know!" She insisted, rolling her eyes in a classically teenage manner.

He ignored her attitude and continued. "Even though you will, of course, not be drinking alcohol, keep an eye – and a hand – on your glass at all times, you never know . . ." He trailed off, desiring to warn her but being unable to voice exactly what he feared, what had happened two summers ago when she had let down her guard.

Her voice softened. "I do know, Brother; I understand you're worried, but John's a good guy and he cares about me."

"He will not be the only guy there, Georgie. Just promise me you will be on your guard?"

"Yes, William, I promise." Her voice held only a hint of pandering.

"If John has so much as a sip of beer, you will call Goodrich for a ride?"

"I promise, really." Georgiana was getting more sincere by the moment but could not help provoking her brother just a tad. "Can I call you instead, since this is apparently a dry holiday and all?"

He refused to rise to her bait. "If you do, I will send Goodrich anyway because as an adult over the age of 21, I plan to have a glass of champagne." He looked serious enough that she teased him no further.

"Okay, you guys have your kind of fun at your party and I'll have my kind of fun at mine." She kissed her overprotective brother's cheek and ran upstairs to finish getting ready.

-o-o-o-o-

"Elizabeth, I am afraid for Georgiana to go to this party alone." Darcy complained later as he adjusted his bow tie in final preparation for their evening.

"Where was she last year?" His wife's muffled voice came from the bathroom. "I don't remember her being in New York with you."

"She was in Napa Valley with our grandmother, who probably did give her a sip of wine but also would never let her run around unsupervised."

"You have to remember that she's growing up, she has a boyfriend now and she's given you no reason to distrust her for the last year and a half. I say, make sure her phone is charged and she has enough money for cab fare just in case, then let her go."

"I did." He admitted dejectedly. "It's only that - " He stopped speaking abruptly when Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom. He had not seen her dress before and he found that looking at it, or rather her, he was rendered speechless.

The gown was emerald green silk; she had selected it to match her wedding ring and, consequently, her eyes. It was a happy coincidence that he had given her jewelry for Christmas that would coordinate as well. The deeply cut sweetheart neckline showed a delectable expanse of her creamy skin and she held out the necklace to him – asking for help fastening it.

It took Darcy a moment to respond, bewitched as he was by her dazzling figure, shown off exquisitely in the silk gown that clung to all of her curves in a most enticing manner. Finally, he realized what she was asking and stepped behind her to clasp the jewels about her throat, unable to stop himself from pressing kisses to the nape of her neck while doing so. Most of her hair was piled atop her head but a few tendrils had been carefully curled and draped over her shoulders like promises of more to come. He turned her gently and tried to kiss her lips but she held up her hand to stop him.

"Do you know how long it took me to look like this?" He shook his head to admit that he did not. "You can kiss me at midnight."

"Elizabeth, that is hours away." His voice turned whiny, something she had originally found uncharacteristic but now noticed occurred whenever he felt as though she was denying him affection.

"You'll survive." She assured him with a pat to his cheek then, when he had turned away in petulance, another on his rear end.

Soon, they were in the back of the Town Car and on their way to the party.

-o-o-o-o-

Charles Bingley was always a gregarious host and happily welcomed them to his home. Jane, although not officially a resident of the house despite the fact that the time she spent there was steadily increasing, stood beside him to act as hostess. Caroline, clearly upset to have had her position usurped, stood a few yards away and shot periodic glares in the couple's direction.

Neither Darcy nor Elizabeth had interacted with the woman since the uncomfortable incident over the summer and although Bingley was aware of the basic gist of what had occurred, his friend did not wish to involve him in the unpleasant situation and had made no requests that they specifically be kept from the woman's company. It occurred to Darcy now, as Caroline eyed Elizabeth angrily, that this may have been a mistake. Still, at least she made no attempt to speak to either of them yet, he hoped that the trend would continue although he feard that it might not if the way she seemed to be pointing her cleavage in his direction was any indication.

Looking around, Darcy realized that he did not know most of the guests present. He followed Elizabeth around for a while, nodding politely as she greeted the few people that she knew at the party. He collected for himself a plate of hors d'oeuvres and a glass of punch, smiling indulgently as his wife stole morsels from his plate instead of getting her own.

Eventually, he separated from Elizabeth when he encountered his cousin Richard, whom he had not really expected to see, given that the man was not particularly close to Bingley. He supposed, upon further reflection, that not everybody present could possibly be close friends of the host; nobody, no matter how friendly, could conceivably have time to maintain this many relationships.

Darcy was surprised to be introduced to Richard's date, an attractive tattooed woman he had not heard about yet. He was even more surprised when Elizabeth joined him and greeted the woman by name. He wondered when his wife began knowing more about his cousin's life than he did himself and asked her about it after the other couple had moved on through the crowd.

"I didn't know they were actually dating again, but I met her about a month ago when I went shopping with Richard."

"I did not know they had dated before. How close have you and Richard become lately?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and did not answer his direct question but rather filled him on on what she knew about the woman. "I'm not sure what their deal is, I just know we ran into her at the mall and he introduced me to Tanya as an ex, but they seem to have gotten over that now." She indicated with her head to the pair kissing in a corner of the room. "I wonder if he let her finish his tattoo."

"He has a tattoo? Where?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't show me, which means it's probably someplace I wouldn't want to see anyway." She wrinkled her nose. "Still, I can't help but be curious. Maybe you could find out for me."

"Maybe." Darcy's voice was distracted as if he was lost in thought. Elizabeth did not have to ask what he was thinking about, however, because his lips on her neck let her know a moment later that his mind was still occupied with thoughts of her.

She decided to tease him a bit. "Would you ever get a tattoo?"

"That hardly seems professional."

Elizabeth laughed. "You wouldn't get it anywhere that business associates might see it." She winked. "I'm not talking about a Mike Tyson face tattoo* or anything."

"Where should I get a such a thing inked, Elizabeth?"

"I don't know, anywhere that a suit covers should be fine." She ran one hand along his bicep as the other brushed his rear end. "Men's business attire can cover all manner of sins."

He smiled at her attention and so encouraged the silly conversation further. "What would you suggest that I permanently etch onto my skin?"

"Ah, that's the hard part, isn't it? You want something that you won't regret, something that you'll still want to think about when the skin your tattoo is on starts to sag."

"My hypothetical tattoo." He reminded her.

"Yes, of course; this is a purely theoretical conversation."

"I do wonder what Richard chose."

"Well, you'll have to ask to see it sometime, because I'm certainly not going to do so."

Her husband rewarded this declaration with a kiss to her cheek then, noticing the behavior of those around them, asked her to join him in a dance.

-o-o-o-o-

As the evening wore on, both Elizabeth and Darcy found people with whom to socialize. While Darcy discussed business and current affairs with men he had met a few times or vaguely remembered from college, Elizabeth, being acquainted with fewer guests, introduced herself around and was not shy about making small talk with the people who were to be Jane's neighbors and social circle in the near future. Periodically, Darcy would eschew conversation and just watch his wife mingle, marveling in the way that she made friends and put others at ease.

A few times throughout the evening, he thought he saw Caroline approaching out of the corner of his eye, but every time he turned to warn her away, she would either appear to be busy with someone else or not be there at all. He could not help but wonder if it was her craftiness or his mind playing tricks on him that caused such a phenomenon. He supposed either was acceptable as long as it kept the woman from actually speaking with him, a fate he would abhor.

Although he was often content to watch Elizabeth from several feet away, his happiness was complete only when she would, between conversations, sidle up to him and lean her head against his chest. Standing together in such a manner, Darcy could not help but wonder why they had bothered to leave the house at all, as he could be much happier ringing in the new year alone in their own home. Still, he realized that as much as he knew Elizabeth loved him, she not be content to always be alone and her happiness was of paramount importance so he persevered, forcing himself to make small talk as the evening went on what felt like interminably.

Finally, the countdown came and he was permitted to kiss her lips at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately, the kiss was far briefer and more restrained than he would have liked, given that they were surrounded by a combination of friends, family, and strangers. Not long after the change of year, Darcy began to make his way toward the door, his arm around his wife, excited to finally be permitted to leave.

"You're not going yet!" Bingley exclaimed as they tried to pass by him. It was not a question and Darcy sighed internally as he gave a tight smile to his friend and assured him that they would of course stay a few minutes more.

A few minutes somehow turned into a few hours as Elizabeth got involved in something with Jane and abandoned him to the rest of the party, the lion's share of which seemed unlikely to leave anytime soon. Darcy did not even realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up to the delightful sensation of soft lips upon his.

As awareness crept into his groggy mind, the first thing he remembered was his location. He was in a recliner in Bingley's den, the loud sounds of a party had faded to the slight murmur of a handful of remaining guests, and he felt the pleasant weight of a woman upon his lap. As he slowly slipped back to consciousness, it occurred to Darcy that his position was particularly vulnerable and no woman felt more at home in this house than Caroline Bingley and he already knew that particular woman had no boundaries; besides, she had been stalking him all night, he was nearly certain of it. His eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start, causing the woman to topple onto the floor with a shriek.

"Elizabeth!" He recognized her voice immediately and stood to help her off the ground. "I am so sorry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She insisted through giggles as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet, "but I thought you'd be a little more welcoming to what you've been whining for all night."

"I am grateful for the kiss, Sweetheart, I suppose I just had a moment where I was unsure of your identity."

"You were afraid I was Caroline?"

"You know me so well." He rewarded her with a kiss on the cheek, then another on the lips that lingered for a few moments before he spoke again. "Where is my most regrettable decision, anyway?"

"She fell asleep on the couch in the living room an hour ago, Charles and some guy I didn't recognize carried her upstairs; you're safe."

"I am glad to hear that. For your sister's sake, I sincerely hope she finds her own home soon."

"She's been spending more and more time in New York recently. I think when Charles asked Jane to redecorate a couple of rooms, it was pretty upsetting for her but it did send the right message."

"Mmmm." Darcy bent down to nuzzle his wife's neck, inhaling her scent. "Are you ready to go home?"

"I am, Goodrich is waiting out front." She threaded her arm through his and they bade farewell to the few remaining guests as they made their way to the front door, where a slightly drunk Bingley cheerfully waved goodbye as Elizabeth and Jane embraced.

-o-o-o-o-

Once settled into the backseat of their Town Car, they kissed for a few minutes before Elizabeth fell asleep against her now refreshed husband. He held her close and stroked her hair until they arrived home when he was disappointed to find that she was not easy to wake.

He thanked Goodrich for providing his services at such a late hour and asked the other man to hold the door open as he lifted Elizabeth into his arms and carried her into the house.

Alone in the master bedroom, Darcy undressed his unconscious wife and tucked her into bed before discarding his own clothes and crawling in beside her, falling asleep much more quickly than he had thought possible given his recent nap. It had, all in all, been an exhausting but surprisingly pleasant night.

-o-o-o-o-

It was another week before Elizabeth started school again for the winter term. This time she managed to schedule heavy classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving her more time to volunteer at the Fitzwilliam Foundation, although she knew that she would have to work hard not to let her school work suffer due to her job there.

During her free time, she began to ponder Darcy's upcoming birthday and what she might do to mark it. He had done such an excellent job making her own birthday special that she was certain she could do nothing to compare. She had already purchased for him another tie and a pair of silk boxer shorts but despite the promise that underwear implied, she knew her gifts did not bring to mind quite the level of festivity she desired.

Georgiana was of little help. The teenager had not been able to buy things independently for long and always counted on Mrs. Reynolds to take care of any necessary arrangements for a celebration to mark the day. The housekeeper said only that she generally made a cake for after dinner and purchased something for Georgiana to wrap as a gift. A few friends or family members would occasionally join them for the meal. She insisted that her employer had never expressed interest in much beyond that and therefore they had never planned anything more elaborate. Despairing of ideas, Elizabeth called the man closest to her husband to ask for advice.

"What does he usually do for his birthday?" She asked Richard over the phone.

She was unsurprised to hear his agreement that Darcy always objected to a party. He was uncomfortable enough in large social gatherings where he was not the center of attention, he would certainly not enjoy being forced to make small talk with every single guest. Still, she wondered if a small dinner party would not be out of the question, something a little more formal than he had come to expect. He enjoyed the company of both Richard and Bingley and could not begrudge each man a date. She decided to make plans with Mrs. Reynolds to have a group of eight for dinner. His thirtieth birthday really was a momentous occasion and it would be a pity not to mark it properly, after all.

She was unsure whether it ought to be a surprise or not. It would be fairly easy to keep the gathering a secret as he planned to be out of town on business for several days preceding his actual birthday. Still, he was not a man who particularly enjoyed surprises and she knew him well enough to realize that he ought to have some kind of warning beforehand so that he would not feel blindsided, as he might even in a gathering of family if he felt it was sprung upon him too suddenly.

Choosing a meaningful gift was a more difficult task. She had felt quite lucky to find the man an appropriate Christmas present, but it was so recent that no new ideas had yet taken form in her mind. Richard admitted that, when unable to come up with something his cousin might enjoy, he generally would donate to charity in his name. As a gift for the proverbial man with everything, it was boring but sincere and generally appreciated.

Having spent a significant amount of time during the month of December choosing charitable organizations who would receive the benefit of her husband's generosity, Elizabeth did not find that idea particularly appealing, but resolved to keep it in the back of her mind as a possibility. She thanked Richard for his help and hung up the phone, still thinking hard about a possible gift for her impossible husband.

_-x-x-x-x-_

*On the off chance that you do not know what Mike Tyson looks like, it requires no further explanation than a picture. Of course, I cannot put a link here, so just go to google images or something and search for Mike Tyson (or face tattoo, I suppose, there are many more terrifying options and you'll get the idea).


	70. Chapter 70

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-70

_Or through my profile here, click on my homepage._

_This chapter is 88% intact_

_[ I am going to stop posting here about specific new Scottish Air chapters, but I am generally staggering my posts until this story is finished. Check out the update page of my google site for more information.]_

_I am so sorry about how long this chapter took to post, I had an inkling of what I wanted to happen, then no ideas about how to execute it. I actually meant for this chapter to cover the next day as well, but it turned out to be the longest chapter I had written even without it, so you'll all just have to wait to see what happens next. I hope it is not too terribly long a wait, but I can make no promises. Leave me lots of reviews and it may happen sooner rather than later :)_

**Chapter 70**

_Friday 11 January – Thursday 17 January_

Elizabeth had spent a large amount of time since the new year thinking about her husband's birthday present. She was lamenting the unhelpful nature of her conversation with Richard when another discussion in which she had recently taken part popped into her mind. After thinking for some time whether it was an avenue she truly wanted to pursue, she determined to at least explore the possibility of her strange idea.

Despite the near pointlessness of their previous conversation, Elizabeth knew that her husband's cousin would be her best contact for this sort of endeavor and presented herself at his office just before noon on Friday to invite him to lunch.

-o-o-o-o-

"I hope this isn't about Darcy's birthday again, because I'm out of ideas." Richard admitted as they made their way toward a nearby restaurant.

"It is but this time I don't need an idea from you, I have one of my own." Elizabeth bit her lip nervously. "What I need is verification that it's not crazy and a little help getting it done."

"Alright, what can I do for you?"

"May I see your tattoo?"

Richard stopped abruptly and turned to face her. If they had already been having lunch, Elizabeth was fairly certain that he would have done a spit take.

"You can't be serious!"

"You don't even know what I'm planning yet." She walked forward slowly, avoiding eye contact as she attempted to keep moving toward lunch as they spoke.

"Not precisely, but I'm not an idiot. You know my tattoo is in a delicate location so you can only be asking for one of two reasons. Either you suddenly realized you can't resist me and you think now is the ideal time to try out adultery . . ." Elizabeth snorted, letting him know what she thought of that possibility. "Or, since my excessively lucky cousin already has everything he could possibly want to own, you thought you'd do something for him that nobody else could – or at least would – and get his name tattooed on your ass." His brow furrowed and he mumbled. "Well, come to think of it, I bet Caroline Bingley would do it if he asked her."

Elizabeth ignored his last thought, considering it at all would disturb her too much. "Not on my ass and not his name exactly. Can I see your tattoo or not?"

"Why are you so interested in mine?" They stood right outside the restaurant now and he opened the door for her, effectively stopping their conversation until they had been seated and left alone by the hostess, when the conversation abruptly restarted.

"I want to see what kind of work Tanya does."

"I'll take you to her shop."

"Front or back?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, is the 'delicate location' of your tattoo on the front or back of your body?"

"Back." Richard replied reluctantly.

"Then I want to see it."

"And if I'd said front?"

"Then I'd probably let it go."

"Damn."

Conversation halted for a few minutes as they made their selections and ordered lunch. Once they were alone again, Elizabeth brought back the uncomfortable topic.

"Fine, maybe I don't have to see yours, but are you happy with it, with the work Tanya did?"

"I am, she is a very talented artist. In fact, she redesigned the logo for RF Games last year."

Elizabeth noticed his shifting eyes and smiled. "That's what you have on your ass, your company logo? I had so hoped it was something more scandalous!" She laughed as he tried to glare in a menacing fashion.

"Hey, it's more creative than just getting somebody's name."

"I told you, I'm not getting his name, if I'm getting anything at all, I mean. What do you think of this?" She pulled a book from her purse and opened to the first page, a blank one on which Darcy's personal crest had been stamped. "You told me this has significance to him."

"It does. Uncle George . . . well, you know that whole story."

"I do, and I know it's very meaningful, he puts it everywhere. Don't you think he would like to see it on me as well?"

"Like he owns you?"

"No, well, maybe; I don't know. Look, that's not the point. I just think it would make a nice gift for him and I have always kind of wanted a tattoo."

Her companion raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Really, and this is what you had in mind?" Richard did not know why he wanted Elizabeth to rethink the tattoo so badly but for some reason, it was especially important to him that she not rush into a decision of such magnitude.

"Well, as a teenager it seemed really cool and rebellious to get some ink, you know. Even in college, the cool kids were doing it and although I wasn't one of them, I might have jumped on the bandwagon except that I was never sure what I wanted. That's the problem with a tattoo, you really have to be sure because you'll have it for the rest of your life. I've never been so sure of anything as I am that I'll be with Darcy forever. So this is something I know I won't regret."

"Well, if you're positive about it, I'll take you to see Tanya this afternoon, she can give you a consultation."

"Don't you have to go back to work?"

"Nah, we just shipped a game last month so everything will be pretty low key for a little while. Besides, there have to be some perks to being the boss. Where do you plan to put this mark of ownership?" He knew he sounded petulant but could not help himself.

Elizabeth ignored the judgment in his voice and merely answered the question. "I was thinking of the small of my back."

"Really, a tramp stamp*?"

"I don't think that particular pejorative applies in this situation. I am hardly promiscuous." She actually did seem a bit offended.

"I'm sorry, Lizzy, I didn't mean it that way, really. That's just what I've always heard them called, you know."

She huffed a bit. "Well, what better place can you name? I can't get it anywhere on the front of me, someday when I get pregnant, it would get all stretched and weird."

"What about your ankle?"

"It would show through pantyhose whenever I wore a skirt. I need to put it a place that isn't visible when I'm at work and trying to look professional."

"I guess we're back to the ass then."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and was grateful to see their entrees arriving. The rest of the meal was spent in relatively innocuous conversation.

-o-o-o-o-

After their meal, the pair headed to Tanya's tattoo parlor for a consultation. She was happy to see them and discussed scale and placement, eventually deciding upon a two-inch diameter tattoo in the center of the lower back, even after Elizabeth had been informed that it was one of the more painful locations possible.

Even though she was generally apprehensive, Elizabeth was somewhat soothed when she was shown the clean facility and the hygienic practices that were clearly in use. Many of her concerns about the procedure disappeared after a thorough tour and assurance that as the proprietor of the establishment, Tanya was both properly trained and licensed.

"I wouldn't recommend getting the tattoo on your husband's actual birthday though, if you mean to surprise him." Tanya pointed out to a surprised Elizabeth.

"Why not?"

"You'll need to keep it covered with a bandage for at least a few hours and there can be some oozing and scabbing." She smiled to see her prospective client wrinkle her nose in distaste. "Even the non-infected tattoos, which are the only kind I do here of course, get some of that. There are other considerations as well; you'll want to sleep on your stomach for a while and it's a bad idea to get a tattoo just before going on vacation because you can't swim or tan for several weeks. I'd even stay out of the bathtub."

"I can shower though, right?"

"It's even encouraged," Tanya smiled, "you do have to keep it clean, you just shouldn't soak it."

Elizabeth thought for a bit. "After four days, it should be fine?"

"It likely won't look perfect yet, but it should be presentable."

"Excellent. Can you do it on Monday?"

"Sure. I usually have walk-in spots available, but we can make an appointment if you want."

"Richard, can you come with me on Monday?" Elizabeth looked at him hopefully, surprised at how much she needed him to agree.

"I guess so. What time?"

They both looked at Tanya who shrugged her shoulders. "I have an appointment right when I open at noon that should take a couple of hours. Anytime after that should be fine. I tend to work late."

"When do you finish work?" Elizabeth asked Richard. "I don't want to come alone if I don't have to, I mean if you can find the time, that is." It occurred to her that if he was busy Monday evening, Jane might be a viable substitute for moral support but there was always the possibility that her older sister, cautious person as she was, might try to talk her out of permanent body art.

"Of course." He smiled reassuringly at her. "How about you come by the office around four, take the L into the city and I'll give you a ride back home. Are you going to tell Georgie?"

"No, I think it's best if we keep this just between us for now. Thanks for the offer, I think I'll appreciate the ride. I'll tell Mrs. Reynolds to expect you for dinner on Monday." She turned to the other woman. "Tanya, would you like to join us as well?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll take a rain check. Business tends to pick up a bit after dark." She smiled and winked before gesturing to the book sitting open on her counter, showing off the design Darcy so loved. "I'll scale this up before you get here on Monday so you can see just how it will look. Don't worry, I'll take good care of hubby's literature." She had noticed Elizabeth looking nervously at the leather-bound tome.

-o-o-o-o-

That night, Elizabeth and Darcy had dinner alone, as Georgiana was on a date. Her brother had made great progress, if not in actually ceasing to worry about her when she was out, at least hiding his concern enough to avoid it being mentioned by his wife. This evening, however, his mind was elsewhere. He was not looking forward to his business trip the next week. However, there was a firm in Houston that Pemberley was looking to acquire and it necessitated his personal attention. He would be gone for three nights during the week of his birthday and if he was not mistaken, his wife seemed to be planning something. She was strangely evasive when he asked about her activities that day and responded vaguely to inquiries about her plans for the coming week. He was fairly certain that she was planning a surprise party and he determined to enjoy it as much as possible, which he imagined would not be a large amount, but it would not do to let her likely significant preparations go to waste. He was therefore surprised when she broached the subject of his birthday celebration that very night.

"What do you think of a small dinner party for your birthday?"

"How small?" He asked, suspecting that they had different opinions on the definition of that word in this circumstance.

"Three other couples maybe, unless you can think of anyone else you would like to add."

"Whom did you have in mind?"

"Georgie and John, of course, Charles and Jane, and Richard and Tanya."

"I barely know Tanya."

"I know, but she's Richard's girlfriend and it would be terribly impolite to invite him as the only guest without a date."

"If John does not come either, everything will be even and it will be just family." He looked serious, although Elizabeth was fairly certain that he was not truly in earnest about leaving out select guests.

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, don't you think it's time you accepted the fact that your little sister has a boyfriend?"

He grudgingly agreed to her guest list and said no more about his sister's date for the rest of the night.

-o-o-o-o-

That Sunday night, after dinner, Darcy had no patience for family time as usual. He had spent several hours with Georgiana that afternoon and now wished for time alone with Elizabeth.

"Fitzwilliam!" She protested, laughing, as he pulled her by the hand up the stairs. "Whatever will your sister think?"

"If she is as intelligent as I have always assumed, she will think that I want to spend time with my wife before I have to leave for a terribly long trip in the morning."

"It's not terribly long." Elizabeth argued in a lighthearted manner as she pulled back upon his hand, not to stop him but to slow him enough that she could comfortably keep pace; sometimes it seemed as though he forgot how much longer his legs were than hers. "You've been on longer trips."

"It always feels like eternity without you, Elizabeth."

She giggled. "You're so poetic, I just might take my pants off right here."

He might have believed her, were they not on a landing halfway between floors, instead he quickened his pace again, lifting Elizabeth into his arms to prevent her falling behind.

She shrieked in surprise and threw her arms around his neck, only marginally due to a fear of being dropped. Mostly, she just liked the closeness it provided. He had proven time and again that he was perfectly capable of carrying her.

Once inside their bedroom, he did not set her down but only turned so that she could lock the door, a now constant precaution for them despite the unlikelihood of being interrupted.

Upon reaching the bed, Darcy placed her gently upon it, in contrast to his former impatience. He joined her upon it and kissed her body, sucking hard enough to leave a purplish splotch.

"Are you marking your territory?" She asked, slightly amused.

"Mm-hm." He said against her stomach before making another mark.

"Fitzwilliam, what are you doing?"

"I am memorizing you, Lizzy, my love, for when I am gone."

"You'll hardly be gone at all." She protested.

"I love you, Elizabeth." He said seriously while maintaining eye contact. "I love everything about you."

Not long after, the couple lay together, spent, waiting for their breathing to return to normal.

"Are you going to miss me, Sweetheart?"

"Of course I am," she assured him, "I miss you sometimes even when you're just at work."

"You do?" The lights still being on, Elizabeth could see how broadly he smiled and it warmed her heart. She really should tell him such things more often.

"I know, it's ridiculous and clingy but I do, I miss you all the time when we're not together. I imagine that will change with time, decrease a little at least."

"No, Elizabeth, I feel exactly the same way and I cannot imagine it ever waning; not my desire for you nor my love for you."

"I didn't mean we'll love each other less, I just meant that we'll get used to each other and maybe not mind so much being apart for a few hours. We're still newlyweds now really, things will mellow out in a few years."

"No," he insisted, wrapping his arm more tightly around her, "I will not allow things to change, not even in a few decades. I cannot imagine ever wanting you less than I do at this moment, which is amazing since I could not possibly want you more."

Elizabeth laughed. "You say that now, but give it five or ten years and a couple of crying babies and you'll be dying to find a business trip to get you out of the house for a few days."

"I am hurt that you think so little of me."

"It's not like that, I love you and you love me and I know that will always be the case but things change with time, it's just nature. I'm not saying we'll turn into my parents or anything - "

"God forbid."

"You know what?" She kissed him on the cheek and rose to turn off the light. "It doesn't matter what changes or doesn't change with time. This," She gestured to where they reclined on the bed, "what we have, isn't going anywhere, I promise." Elizabeth flipped the light switch and returned to her husband, determined to soothe him in a manner that he could remember throughout his brief journey.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy rose so early on Monday morning that Elizabeth almost did not register him getting out of bed. She might have joined him in the shower for a proper sendoff had she been awake enough to rise but instead managed only to kiss him goodbye before falling asleep once again.

The whole day, she was incredibly nervous and not particularly good at hiding it. Georgiana asked what was the matter when they had breakfast together in the morning and when Darcy called not long after to assure her that he had reached Houston safely, he inquired as well.

Elizabeth was confident that she was not making a mistake, yet she was apprehensive about the idea of getting something permanently etched onto her skin. She wondered if perhaps she might have had the same worries about getting married if she had been given any time to think about it between what passed for a proposal and their impressively quick wedding ceremony. Upon further rumination, she decided that she was grateful her marriage had happened in the way it did, otherwise she might still be planning a wedding, although she supposed that was actually the case, but she could also be wondering whether it was the correct decision when, having been married for eight months now, she was certain of its rightness.

Heaving a loud sigh and looking at her watch again, Elizabeth realized that she still had hours left before she was to meet Richard and headed to her office upstairs, hoping to get at least some work done, whether it be for school or The Fitzwilliam Foundation.

-o-o-o-o-

Finally, the hour arrived when she had to leave, or at least when she decided she could without being too ridiculously early to meet Richard. She took a deep breath, checked that she had her purse, and bade farewell to Mrs. Reynolds, whom she knew had been itching all day to ask what was the matter.

Elizabeth walked into Richard's office fifteen minutes before their appointed time and, after checking to make sure they were alone, slumped down into a chair with an unladylike grunt.

"I've had butterflies in my stomach all day and I feel like I'm sneaking around. Is this what it's like to have an affair?"

"I wouldn't know. Despite my irresistible charm, I have never cheated on a girlfriend."

"Oh, of course you haven't, I was just talking. Are you ready to go now?" She was speaking much more quickly than normal.

"Wow, you do sound nervous. Are you really sure about this, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath, which she let out slowly. "I am, I just feel, I don't know, anxious, tense, terrified. You get the idea. I mean, I know I want the tattoo, I just wish it was already done, you know?"

"I do, and I admire your determination, but promise me you aren't doing this just because you can't think of an alternate gift." Richard rose and took her hands in his own. "I know my cousin pretty well and I can say for certainty that there is nothing on Earth he wants less for his birthday than your unhappiness . . . not even a novelty tie." That comment got a shaky laugh from Elizabeth and he squeezed her hands reassuringly. "I'll go with you and I'll hold your hand and I'll make sure Tanya gets the design right, but I won't encourage you to do something you'll regret."

Amazingly enough, his little speech somehow reassured Elizabeth that she was making the right decision. She kissed him on the cheek in thanks. "Thanks, Richard, you're a really good friend. I know I won't regret this, I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Let me just finish this one thing, then we can get out of here." Richard sat back down at his computer and typed for a few minutes before rising. "Okay, let's get you branded."

"That is not helpful." Elizabeth pointed out, but he was glad to see that she smiled as she did so.

The walk to Richard's car was silent, but once they were on their way, Elizabeth spoke. "I have one more favor to ask you, but I'll understand if you say no."

"Shoot."

"Can you take Darcy out the night before his birthday?"

"Thursday? I thought he's getting back then. Won't you guys want a reunion or something? I know you're pretty joint at the hip."

"That's the thing, I'd like to prevent a reunion, at least the kind you're intimating."

"Well, now I'm just confused. Here you are getting a tattoo for the guy; I thought you couldn't keep your hands off each other."

"That's the problem." Elizabeth ducked her head, trying to hide her slight blush.

"Now you've really lost me."

"Maybe this is stupid, but I want to keep his, ah, birthday present a secret until his actual birthday."

"So, you want me to bring him home at midnight?" Richard raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"That's one option. What I was really thinking is that you could keep him out late enough so that he doesn't have time or energy for anything but sleep before he has to go to work on Friday morning."

"You're going to make him wait until after work? That's cruel, Lizzy, and after such a long absence."

"Now, don't you start about all that, it's only three days."

"Which you're trying to turn into four."

"I think the anticipation will make it better. Anyway, I think it might take more than just being out late to keep him . . . occupied."

"You want me to get him drunk?"

"First the tattoo and then this? Now I know you're a mind reader. I just need him to drink enough that he is not particularly observant and falls right asleep when you bring him back. Can you do it?"

"A year ago, I'd have said yes, but a year ago, he didn't have anything to come home to like he does now. I'll do what I can."

"Thanks, Richard, you're the best."

"That's what I keep telling people." They both smiled as they pulled into a parking structure near the tattoo parlor.

-o-o-o-o-

Tanya was waiting when they walked in, armed with a drawing of the crest in the size they had discussed. After approving her work signing the necessary forms, Elizabeth drew in a deep breath for courage and proceeded to sit down.

When Elizabeth removed her shirt to reveal a modest sports bra, the tattoo artist was standing in front of her. After noting that Richard was distracted by something else she leaned forward and whispered, "It looks like you had fun last night."

It took Elizabeth a moment to realize that Tanya had seen the marks Darcy left on her skin, painfully evident in the bright light of the studio, she flushed red with embarrassment.

Tanya winked. "Good for you, it's been a while since I've seen a set of hickeys like that."

"What?" Richard turned around finished with whatever he was doing on his phone.

"Nothing." The two women said together as Elizabeth positioned her shirt in front of her stomach to hide the offending marks.

"Now," Tanya said as Elizabeth reached out for Richard's hand and the emotional support that went with it, "this is fairly intricate work, but it's all one color, so it won't take as long as something layered. Are you ready?"

Elizabeth indicated that she was and the other woman went to work.

-o-o-o-o-

Less than an hour later, Elizabeth was listening to after care instructions and putting her shirt back on over her freshly bandaged back. There was a small argument over whether Tanya would accept payment, which she eventually did under protest, then Elizabeth invited the pair for dinner on Friday night.

"Isn't that the night of the unveiling?" Richard asked dubiously.

"We can do that later, after you all go home, but I'm planning to have a few people over for dinner, just family really, to celebrate his birthday."

"If it's just family . . . " Tanya began, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Family and their dates, my sister-in-law is bringing her boyfriend and my sister her fiancé, who's not technically family although he is one of Darcy's closest friends, but I digress. I hope you can make it."

"Of course we will." Richard put his arm around his girlfriend's waist then turned to her inquisitively. "Assuming you can get the night off."

"Yeah, Robin will be here that night, so it should be fine." Tanya turned to Elizabeth. "Thank you for the invitation, we'd love to come."

"Great, just remember that the birthday boy won't know yet about our little surprise, so don't give it away!"

Tanya promised not to and kissed Richard goodbye as he escorted Elizabeth back to his car.

-o-o-o-o-

It took very little work for Elizabeth to talk Richard into staying for dinner that evening by the time they pulled into the driveway of the Darcy house. Georgianna was thrilled to see him and the three of them had a nice time spending the evening together after dinner until the phone rang and after talking for a few minutes, Georgiana handed the phone to her sister-in-law with a roll of her eyes. When, upon hearing her husband's voice, Elizabeth immediately dashed for the stairs, the teenager turned to her cousin with a huff.

"Well, that's the last we'll see of her tonight."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, the way they talk when he goes out of town, you'd think he was stationed overseas for a two year hitch." She looked in the direction Elizabeth had fled. "I guess it's sweet though, that they love each other so much."

"It certainly is." Richard agreed. He stayed until Georgiana claimed to have homework to do, then drove home, considering how he might best fulfill Elizabeth's request of him for Thursday night.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy was due to arrive at the airport at eight o'clock on the evening before his birthday. Elizabeth's original plan, before her idea regarding her tattoo and the secrecy involved with it, had been to ride with Goodrich in the Town Car to meet her husband at the airport, that way they could begin their reunion as soon as possible. They rarely raised the privacy screen in the chauffeured vehicle, but she imagined that Goodrich would not begrudge them a bit of alone time, although she did not expect it to go far enough as to really require the barrier.

Now, however, she sat at home wondering when her husband would return. She had spent the last three nights sleeping on her stomach but her back was feeling better now. From what she could see in the mirror, it seemed to be looking quite good as well. The area was slightly swollen but there had been few issues with it and she was quite pleased with the result.

She considered donning the special lingerie she had purchased for his birthday just in case Richard failed in his mission but decided to wear something modest instead. Either her husband would come home drunk and a sexy outfit would just rile him up or he would escape from his cousin's clutches and when he saw her in such apparel, he would want to study her from every angle, making it impossible to keep her surprise until his actual birthday. When she looked at the clock and realized the still early hour, she sighed, it would be some time before she could put her pajamas on anyway. It was upsetting to realize that Darcy was so close to her, he was somewhere in town, yet she could not yet see him and it was her own doing. She began to regret her insistence on such a surprise. She had missed his call when he left Houston due to class and wanted to see him as soon as possible.

"Stupid, stupid idea." She mumbled to herself as she picked up a book to read in the living room as she sat down on the couch next to Georgiana.

"What's a stupid idea?" The teenager asked.

"Hmm?" Elizabeth was surprised by the question, she did not realize her thoughts had been audible. "Letting Richard take your brother out tonight instead of bringing him home to us."

"To you, you mean." Georgiana teased.

Elizabeth smiled. "Perhaps in some ways, but I'm sure he wants to see you too."

The teenager smiled but did not respond.

-o-o-o-o-

Upon leaving the airport, Darcy saw a figure through the tinted glass in the back of his waiting car and quickened his pace. He beamed at Goodrich as the man took his suitcase and opened the door eagerly. The sight that met him was not nearly as welcome as the one he was expecting.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too, Darce."

"I was hoping to see Elizabeth."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Richard's voice was teasing and if he expected a reply, he was disappointed.

Darcy sat with his arms folded across his chest in silence for several minutes. Finally, he looked out the window and his brow furrowed in confusion. "This is not the way home." He raised his voice. "Goodrich, where are we going?"

"Never you mind," his cousin replied, not giving the driver a chance to respond, "just sit back and relax."

"I would relax much better if I was at home with my wife and sister. Why are you kidnapping me?"

"This is the last night of your twenties, Darcy, we need to celebrate it right."

"I just told you with whom I want to celebrate, Richard, are you wearing too much hair gel for my words to get through to your brain?"

"You'll see her soon. For now, just enjoy the ride."

When they arrived at the bar Richard had chosen, it was a very reluctant Darcy who disembarked from the car. "You know, I could call a cab right now and go home on my own." He pointed out to his kidnapper.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that? Just have one drink with me, then I'll take you home." The other man said as soothingly as possible. When Darcy grudgingly agreed, they entered the bar.

-o-o-o-o-

It was several hours later when the two men staggered through the door into the Darcy house. Although Richard was less drunk than his cousin, he was by no means sober and planned, after making sure Darcy got safely to bed, to sleep in his basement room. He enlisted Goodrich's help to wrestle the man of the house toward the elevator, he had no desire to navigate two flights of stairs in his state with dead weight periodically stopping for rest against his shoulder.

"You did what I asked and then some, didn't you?" Elizabeth was standing outside the doors when they opened on the third floor. She wore a modest pair of red satin pajamas and pursed her lovely lips in amusement as she led them and their burden into the bedroom where Darcy was deposited heavily on the bed. "Thank you, Goodrich, for getting these two home safely. Richard, I assume you're sleeping here tonight?"

"I'll sleep right here if you'll let me." Richard made to lie down next to his cousin as Goodrich acknowledged her thanks and left.

"Oh, no you don't." Elizabeth caught him by the arm and gave him a little shove toward the door. "There's not room in this bed for three and I don't like to sleep on couches. You know where your room is," she raised an eyebrow as he stepped toward her, "and don't pretend you're too drunk to get there, I saw you help to bring him in just now. What did you give him by the way, elephant tranquilizers?"

Richard snorted. "That would have been easier. No, it was scotch. Delicious, expensive scotch, about half a bottle of it."

"You drank the other half, I take it."

"Not quite, that's why I can speak so eloquently and he can just snore." Darcy had begun to do just that from where he lay face down on the bed.

"Well, I appreciate your supreme sacrifice on my behalf."

"It wasn't easy, you know, getting him to drink that much. I kept having to refill his glass when he turned his head, eventually he caught on, but by then he was a little sauced already, so it worked out."

"Thank you, Richard. Can you make it downstairs by yourself?"

"I can, but you should know the reason I had to work so hard to get him to keep drinking; he wanted to come home to you." Richard leaned forward until she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "He really loves you, Lizzy, more than I even knew."

"I really love him too." She kissed Richard on the cheek. "Thanks again for what you did for me, all of it. Have a good night."

"I always do, the beds are so comfy here and Mrs. Reynolds makes great pancakes, I love her pancakes . . . " He wandered toward the bedroom door, still mumbling to himself about breakfast foods.

Elizabeth locked the door behind him then set about readying her unconscious husband for bed. He wore no shoes, his companions must have removed them downstairs, but his dress pants and button down shirt could not be comfortable for sleeping. After several tries, she managed to roll him over and unfasten his clothing but it turned out that was much easier than actually removing it. Half wishing she had asked Richard to stay for this part, Elizabeth managed to wrestle Darcy out of his clothes, leaving him in an undershirt and pair of boxer briefs. For the briefest of moments, she wondered how wrong it would really be to have her way with him as he lay there, if he was awake he would certainly not object.

No, Elizabeth told herself, he is not awake and doing that with an unconscious person is definitely wrong, at least if they are that way from the start, she mused as she recalled the incident at the wedding in New York where it had been she who was so very drunk.

Eventually he was undressed enough for comfort, but Elizabeth knew there was no way she could manage to get him under the sheets, since his dead weight was now pinning them down. With a sigh of regret for not turning down the bed before his placement upon it, she went to the linen closet and got an extra blanket, which she placed over them both as she joined him in bed.

As if sensing her presence, he rolled against her side, pressing his body as close as possible while he murmured her name in his sleep.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* A "tramp stamp" is a derisive term for a lower back tattoo. (Do not look it up on Wikipedia if you will be upset to see a picture of women wearing tiny underpants.)

Since the wikipedia article is really just a stub, there is also an interesting commentary on the use of the term and the assumptions that go along with it at the following address (remove the spaces, of course):

http : / /tattoo .about .com /od /tattoosgeneralinfo /a /tramp_stamp .htm


	71. Chapter 71

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-71

_I thought that you could click on the homepage link that I put in my profile but apparently that is not showing up even though I just checked to make sure I entered it. I think it used to be a link but now it does not seem to show up on my bio at all, I am sorry about that. Anyway, try going to my google site, some people have found that it works with the www in front of it, some without. Alternately, try googling me (_**demonessk**_) I do not think anybody else uses that name and when I try it, my site is the first thing to come up as a result._

_This chapter is 74% intact_

_[ I am going to stop posting here about specific new Scottish Air chapters, but I am generally staggering my posts until this story is finished. Check out the update page of my google site for more information.]_

_Finally, another chapter! (My official excuse is that I was trying to build the tension before I reveal Darcy's reaction to Elizabeth's gift, but the truth is that a lot of crap was going on and I just could not get around to editing and posting until today.) I am hard at work on the next one, so leave me lots of reviews to encourage me to post it sooner rather than later :)_

**Chapter 71**

_Friday 18 January_

"Elizabeth?" A hoarse voice next to her ear cut through the sound of the alarm. "What happened?"

Darcy blinked a few times and squinted against the sun peeking in around the edges of the curtains. The rays hit him like a knives.

"Happy birthday!" His wife replied in an all too chipper and loud voice. She kissed him then made a face, he assumed at the taste of his mouth, which seemed to him to be reminiscent of day-old garbage.

Apparently, the taste of his mouth did not put her off completely, although she did not return for more. After she turned off the alarm, she pulled away the blanket that covered them.

"Elizabeth?" He asked again. This time, she did not respond, as her mouth was busy elsewhere.

Afterward, when he sat up, his head began to throb and the reminder of his overindulgence from the night before made him all but forget the delightful thing which had just taken place in his bed.

"Elizabeth," he looked at her and furrowed his brow to see her body so much more covered than usual, "I am sorry for going out with Richard last night. I wanted to come home to you, but - "

She halted his speech with a finger to his lips. "You were celebrating the last night of your twenties, I get it."

"That is just what Richard said, how strange." He mused to himself and did not notice her eyes go wide as if in panic for a moment before she caught herself and calmed down, putting on a smile before kissing him on the cheek.

"Well, it is a big deal. Now, you are thirty years old and that's a big deal too, but you still have to go to work."

"Shit!"

Elizabeth smiled, amused at his use of the expletive and grabbed his hands to physically pull him out of bed. "Normally, I'd say skipping a shower once in a while won't kill you, but you really need one today."

"Will you join me?"

"I would love to, but I have an early meeting with a Foundation beneficiary, so I showered last night and have to get going soon."

"It's my birthday." Darcy whined.

"I know it is, I'm not always so generous in the mornings." She reminded him with a wink. "I promise we'll celebrate properly tonight. Wait until after dinner, big guy."

"Damn it! Do we really have to have dinner with all those other people?"

"Well, aren't you cranky for someone who just had such fun? We will have a nice dinner at six thirty, don't be late. Afterward, I will make it worth your while for waiting, I promise." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a shove toward the bathroom before getting ready for her conveniently timed meeting.

-o-o-o-o-

When Darcy got home from work that day, he was disappointed to find his wife already wearing a party dress for the evening.

"I was sure we would have time for a quickie." He pouted.

"Well, either traffic was bad or you stayed late at the office, because people will be here in less than half an hour, we don't have enough time." She kissed him on the lips this time, sure he had brushed his teeth at least once since that morning. "It takes me a long time to look like this."

"Now I know you are lying to me," he said with a smile, "you wake up looking that beautiful. I know from experience."

"Flattery will not help you now, Fitzwilliam." She kissed him again then claimed a need to fix her lipstick.

"Just please, Sweetheart, be merciful and do not tell me what kind of underwear you are wearing," he paused for a moment of thought before going on, "or not wearing as the case may be."

"Don't be ridiculous, this is a family party. I'm wearing granny panties, of course."

"Elizabeth, I know you own no such things!"

"Fine, but I'm not wearing anything scandalous. I'll change later for you though, I promise." She gave him one more kiss to silence his groan, since her lipstick was already ruined anyway, before finishing her preparations for the evening.

-o-o-o-o-

Despite Darcy's concerns, dinner was actually quite pleasant. The small group was not overwhelming and he genuinely enjoyed their company. He even found himself able to tolerate Georgiana's boyfriend for the evening.

After dinner, gifts were brought out for the man of the hour. Elizabeth gave him a nice tie and a new book by an author he admired. Somehow she had managed to obtain a signed copy despite the fact that was not even due out for another week. From Bingley, he received an mp3 player and a pair of tickets to a Bulls* game. When he looked at his friend dubiously, Bingley smiled and assured Darcy that he was, in fact, free that evening. Georgiana got him a set of personalized golf balls and a nice dopp kit* although after the frustration associated with his homecoming from this trip, Darcy wondered to himself, in a slightly sullen manner, if he would ever leave town again. Richard winked as he handed over a very nice bottle of scotch and a set of whiskey stones*.

"Like Bingley, I expect to benefit from my gift." He announced.

"Richard, you can drink all that you want of it, I may never consume scotch again." He was not amused to see a smirk spread across his cousin's face. "I take that back, I may drink again, just never with you."

Richard scoffed, clearly unconcerned about the threat.

As he had been anticipating an interminable evening with his guests, Darcy was surprised to see them get ready to leave not long after eight o'clock. The excuses seemed contrived but he was not of a mind to argue as everyone, even Georgiana, headed out the door.

"Where are you going, young lady?" He could not help but demand, concerned for her welfare even as a small part of him wanted to see her go so that he could finally spend time alone with his wife.

"John's taking me to a movie, I'll be home by midnight, don't wait up." She kissed him on the cheek and was gone.

"Midnight?" Darcy looked about in alarm. "Her curfew - "

"Has been extended tonight due to extenuating circumstances." Elizabeth soothed him. "She's given you no reason not to trust her since she's been seeing John, let her go."

He opened his mouth as if to protest again but closed it at the promise he saw in his wife's eyes. He supposed he would not begrudge his sister one hour this night, after all.

-o-o-o-o-

Fifteen minutes, Elizabeth had told him to wait. Did she not know that a quarter of an hour could feel like forever to a starving man, which he was at this point. Despite the attention she had given him that morning, he was still unfulfilled. Somehow, although he always enjoyed her ministrations, he could never be fully satisfied unless she was as well. It almost seemed as though he had not touched her for weeks at this point and this last fifteen minutes, now that they were alone in the house, was almost too much to bear.

Darcy stared at his watch intently as if his glare could quicken the second hand and make time pass more quickly. Of course, his attempt was unsuccessful and watching the slow tick made each minute somehow seem longer instead. Heaving a frustrated sigh, he began to pace. Looking at his watch only several times per minute instead of constantly, however, did nothing to speed the passage of time. Finally, after what felt like hours, the hands of his watch indicated the specified time and he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time in order to reach his wife.

As he reached the top floor, Darcy could hear soft music playing from the bedroom. He could not name the artist but it sounded slightly familiar. It was sensual yet understated and classy, just like he always thought of his wife. When he entered the room itself, however, his jaw nearly dropped at the sight.

Elizabeth had lowered the lights enough to make the candles that now burned at the bedside stand out but not enough to truly hinder his sight, for which he was thankful; she was a sight he would not wish to miss. She owned many pieces of lingerie which he found interminably sexy but none quite like this.

"Is this my last birthday present? It is the best one yet." He was embarrassed to hear his voice crack, but not particularly surprised. His mouth must have gone dry in the time it gaped open as he looked at his wife.

She shook her head. "Sit down." She whispered, gesturing toward the bed. He obeyed immediately, dismayed when she moved off to the side instead of joining him. "I was so sure of my decision, but I'm nervous now, I have to admit."

"Nervous about what, Elizabeth?" They had made love hundreds of times now, there was no reason for her to be apprehensive, this was not even the most revealing ensemble she had worn for him, although he was fairly certain it was now his favorite. What had changed to cause her apprehension?"

"I hope you like it, this is your last present." She said and moved in front of him before turning her back.

His seated position and her standing one left no question as to where he might look. The small of her back was nearly at his eye level and he noticed her tattoo immediately, grabbing her hips to draw her between his legs so that he could get a closer look at the ink she now sported.

"Elizabeth, I . . . you did this for me?"

"I don't know any other FDs," she teased nervously, "or anyone else who uses that particular crest."

He pushed her away gently, only enough to rise so that he could go to the wall, where he raised the dimmer switch to full brightness before returning to his wife.

"Lie down," he instructed, "so that I can see better."

She lay on her stomach on the bed, feeling awkwardly on display as she felt his hot breath mist over her new tattoo.

"Does it hurt? May I touch it?" He sounded eager and some of her tension dissipated at the sound.

"I got it on Monday so it's mostly healed. It feels kind of like a fading sunburn. You can touch it as long as you don't press to hard or hit it or anything."

She felt his fingers stroke almost ghostlike across the mark then his tongue, tracing a circle around it before pressing the gentlest of kisses at its center right over his initials.

She could not help herself and so she asked the question that burned in her mind. "Do you like it?"

"Elizabeth, this is the most thoughtful, the most personal, and without a doubt the sexiest gift anyone has ever given me. I love it." He kissed it again and sighed happily.

"That's the good news then, I guess. The bad news is that now I'm out of ideas and I plan to celebrate at least fifty or sixty more birthdays with you." The last of her nervousness left her and she was able to laugh.

"You are a most creative and intelligent woman, I have the utmost faith in you."

"Yeah, you say that now, just wait until next year when you get your first shipment from the Ice Cream of the Month Club* because I have no better ideas."

"If I will be permitted to eat said ice cream off of your lovely body, you will get no complaints from me."

Elizabeth laughed again and returned to the subject at hand. "You know, I was afraid you'd find the tattoo thing a little too 'punk' for your liking. Still, it's something I wanted to do, not just for you; for us. I probably should have talked to you about it and had you come with me, but I just couldn't resist the opportunity to surprise you."

"It is beautiful, Sweetheart. I admit, if you asked me honestly a week ago if I thought you should get tattooed, I would probably have said no; before this moment, I thought something like a tattoo would mar your perfect body, but this . . . this is amazing, Elizabeth. I love it, I love you."

"What do you think of the location I chose?" She wondered if somebody as highbrow as her husband even knew the term 'tramp stamp'.

"I admit, there is a small part of me that wishes you had placed it somewhere more on display where everybody in the world would know that you are mine whenever they saw you."

"Just a small part?"

"I am a practical man, Elizabeth, and I know that despite the relatively demure nature of this design, a visible tattoo is hardly professional. Besides, I enjoy having it be our little secret; something you display only for me. Well, I suppose others will see it occasionally, there are more secretive places you could have chosen," he pressed a kiss to one example, "but it is not for the world at large and I like that." He returned to the tattoo and kissed a trail up her spine, deliberately keeping his body from brushing against the new ink. Upon reaching the base of her hairline, he moved off of her completely and lay beside her, inhaling the scent of her hair and smiling contentedly.

Elizabeth turned her head toward him. "You don't have to be so careful, it's healing just fine and doesn't really hurt anymore. In fact, I thought you'd like to look at it while we celebrate your birthday. She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

He agreed and afterward, they lay together for some time, Elizabeth on her stomach and Darcy on his side next to her.

"That was amazing." She mumbled into her pillow before turning her head toward him. "Happy birthday."

"It is certainly the happiest I have ever had." He reached out to stroke her hair. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Mmm, not in the last five minutes." She turned on her side to face him. "I love you too, Fitzwilliam, so much." She kissed him again and they lay like that for a few minutes before she rose to turn off the lights and noticed something. "The door is open!"

"I would apologize, my love, but it is entirely your fault." Darcy spoke lazily from his spot on the bed.

"My fault! How on earth can you come to that conclusion when you're the one who came through the door last?" Elizabeth clicked her tongue and shut and locked the door as was their habit, unnecessary as it might be when the only other member of the household thoroughly respected their privacy.

"You were so sexy when I arrived that all other thoughts immediately disappeared from my mind."

Elizabeth wanted to be upset with him but could only smile at the flattery. She returned to the bed lit only by the glow of the flickering candles. Her husband reached for her; it was early yet.

-o-o-o-o-

They did not hear Georgiana arrive home due to the house's sturdy construction and their remote location compared to both the front door and her bedroom. At midnight, Darcy began to voice his concern regarding her whereabouts.

"I'm sure she's downstairs now, she would've called if she planned to come home late."

"She knew we would be distracted tonight. What if she assumed she could get away with coming home late or worse, not coming home at all?"

"She's probably in her room now, sleeping even." A look at her husband proved that he did not believe her assertion. "Shall we go check?"

He nodded and with great effort, the couple managed to remove themselves from bed, where they had just spent several hours in a very energetic and enjoyable fashion. Elizabeth donned her modest red pajamas while Darcy put on a navy set and a robe.

"Well, now we look like boring old parents." Elizabeth pointed out as they walked past a mirror on their way to the door.

"It's better than looking like we have been having sex for hours." Darcy commented as he smoothed down his hair.

"Yeah, I'm sure Georgie likes to pretend we don't do that, although I don't think she could tonight, the way she was hightailing it out of here."

He gave a small shudder. "Please, I like to think she has no awareness of the act at all."

"This from the man who insisted I give her 'the talk' last summer. Pick a delusion and go with it!" She teased him as they made their way out into the hall and down the stairs.

When they reached the second floor, they both noticed the light shining from beneath Georgiana's bedroom door.

"Is that enough proof for you?" Elizabeth whispered, ready to head back to their own room.

Apparently, it was not, for Darcy walked over to the door and knocked upon it even as his wife rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Georgiana said when she opened the door, "I didn't expect to see you again tonight."

"I – we just wanted to say goodnight and make sure you got home safely."

"To make sure I got home by curfew, you mean."

"Of course we trust you."

The teenager sighed and rolled her eyes before kissing her older brother on the cheek and giving a little wave to Elizabeth where she stood several feet away. "It's okay, I know you worry because you care. I hope you had a good birthday."

"I did, thank you. Sleep well, Georgie."

"Thanks, you too, both of you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elizabeth and Darcy said together as they went back up the stairs to their sanctuary where they remained for some time into the next morning.

-x-x-x-x-

I don't really know what guidelines to use regarding whether something needs to be further explained or not. On one hand, you are already on the internet, if you don't know what something means, it is really easy to "google". On the other hand, some people are from other countries and are not as familiar with American sports or slang or stuff like that, so I pick, more or less randomly, things that I will explain, often unnecessarily. Anyway, you can ignore what you already know and google that which I missed, here you go:

* The [Chicago] Bulls are an NBA (basketball) team which plays in Chicago.

* A "dopp kit" is a toiletry bag, generally for men. As a gift, it is not uncommon to fill it with high-end (or not, I suppose, depending on one's budget) skincare products and the like.

* Whiskey stones are stones that one puts in whiskey (or any other beverage) to cool it without watering it down. Basically, you put the little bag of stone cubes in the freezer for a while, then dump them into your drink. They are reusable and cool looking.

* The Ice Cream of the Month Club is totally a real thing


	72. Chapter 72

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

http:/ /www. sites. google. com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-72

_I thought that you could click on the homepage link that I put in my profile but apparently that is not showing up even though I just checked to make sure I entered it. I think it used to be a link but now it does not seem to show up on my bio at all, I am sorry about that. Anyway, try going to my google site, some people have found that it works with the www in front of it, some without. Alternately, try googling me (demonessk) I do not think anybody else uses that name and when I try it, my site is the first thing to come up as a result._

_Now that I have pasted in my usual spiel, I must point out that the two chapters are the same but for editing._

_[ I am going to stop posting here about specific new Scottish Air chapters, but I am generally staggering my posts until this story is finished. Check out the update page of my google site for more information.]_

_Sorry this took so long, some of you probably understand how finals week can be!_

**Chapter 72**

_Wednesday 6 February – Wednesday 13 February_

Periodically, Elizabeth liked to meet Jane for lunch in the city on her class-free days. It helped that the Fitzwilliam Foundation Chicago office was located conveniently near to the law firm where Jane now worked.

"It's weird," she told her older sister one day as they ate, "both last Sunday and the one before, Darcy just disappeared for several hours in the middle of the afternoon."

"He didn't tell you where he was going?" the blonde woman was surprised. She had gotten to know her brother-in-law much better since moving to Chicago and from everything she could tell, despite his occasionally brusque interactions with strangers, he seemed like a thoughtful and considerate husband. "Does Georgie know anything about it?"

"She's been too busy working on her audition piece for the spring musical to notice anything. Seriously, I don't know how many more times I can listen to that song even if she does sing it well. Besides, I don't want to get her involved in this. Speaking of Georgie; did I tell you she's trying out for an on-stage role this year? She has such a beautiful voice and rarely lets anyone hear it."

"You did." Elizabeth's pride in her sister-in-law was commendable. She was closer to that girl than to their own younger sisters, although Jane knew that was no fault of Elizabeth's, she had always made the effort when she could.

"Has Charles been going out on the weekends?"

"No more than usual, why? Do you think they might be in on something together?"

"Wherever Darcy's going, he's not taking any of the cars, which means either someone's picking him up or he's going somewhere he can walk. I called Richard the other day and he says he doesn't know anything, but I wouldn't put it past him to lie on his cousin's behalf, those two are as thick as thieves sometimes."

"Richard kept that big secret for you before Darcy's birthday." There was the slightest hint of jealousy in Jane's tone and Elizabeth regretted for a moment not asking her sister to hold her hand at the tattoo parlor. She should never have doubted Jane's support. Once she had seen her little sister's tattoo, she had proclaimed it to be both tasteful and romantic.

"He did, and I'm sure he would do the same for his own cousin but I actually don't think he's lying about this. I've gotten to know him pretty well and I think I'd be able to tell if he was covering up something." Elizabeth took a deep breath. "I'm thinking about following Darcy if he leaves again this week."

"Lizzy, you can't be serious!"

"Wouldn't you wonder, if it was Charles?"

"I suppose I would, but I trust Charles just like I thought you trusted Darcy."

"Of course I trust him, I'm not suspicious, just curious. I mean, I don't think he's cheating on me or anything but he's obviously up to something you know I'm terrible at waiting around for surprises. Besides, where could he be possibly go that is within walking distance? We live in a pretty residential neighborhood. He must be getting a ride from somewhere, so I know he has a co-conspirator."

"Is he close with any of the neighbors?"

"Not really, as far as I've seen. I mean, we say hi to the ones we see on the street, but we've never had any over for dinner or anything, although Georgie does babysit for some occasionally. I can't imagine, though, that he is visiting any of them. Plus, he looks all sneaky these days."

"I don't even know what that means."

"Like he's guilty of something but proud of himself at the same time. I'm sure whatever he's up to, it's Valentine's Day related. You know, for all that he seems gruff, he's just a big romantic softie sometimes."

"So you've mentioned." Jane smiled. "Charles is sweet but not really the romantic surprise sort. He's taking me to a nice dinner for Valentine's Day."

"Not particularly creative, I suppose." Elizabeth teased.

"Or a traditionalist, either way I love him."

"That's convenient, since you're marrying him in two and a half months."

"I know, I'm so excited!" Jane squealed a bit with joy and her sister looked at her indulgently. "Mom's coming next weekend to help me finalize the flowers."

Elizabeth could not suppress a groan. "Crap, how long will she be in town?"

"Just a few days, this time. Why?"

"I managed to avoid her the last time she came and she reminds me of it every time we talk these days – and she's calling more and more often. Even Dad mentions it sometimes although I can tell he's only saying something because she made him."

"What do you want to do, then?"

"I guess we'll have you guys all over for dinner when she's visiting." Elizabeth pulled a calendar from her purse and looked at it. "Saturday the sixteenth; does that work for you and Charles?" She waited for Jane's nod. "I'll check with Darcy and Mrs. Reynolds and call you to confirm."

"I think it'll be nice to all spend time together with Mom."

"That's because you're either the sweetest person on Earth or severely brain damaged, Jane. Anyway, back to Valentine's Day, what are you getting for Charles?"

"I don't know, maybe this is the media getting to me, but I feel like it's his responsibility to make it special. Is that wrong?"

"It's certainly the way advertisers portray it and Darcy seems to expect to take the lead with whatever surprise is causing him to sneak around so ineptly as he is."

"Not so ineptly that you've figured him out."

"Hey! I've figured out that there's something to figure out."

"A regular Nancy Drew* you are, Lizzy." Jane teased.

"Anyway, that's not really the point, what I'm thinking is that it seems like if I expect him to do something for me, I should do something for him too."

"I believe the traditional response to dinner and possible jewelry is sexy lingerie." Jane blushed as she spoke and Elizabeth could not help but wonder how red she might get if she ever became fully aware of the impressive collection of provocative underthings that her younger sister had amassed for Darcy's pleasure. Well, that was not quite true, Elizabeth mused, they tended to inspire her own pleasure as well.

"Do you own such apparel, Janie? How scandalous!" Elizabeth was happy to tease her sister in return.

"I, um, have a couple of things but I thought maybe you'd like to go shopping for something special with me, maybe a red, uh, ensemble? You could get something too."

"No, I wore red for Darcy's birthday, I'm thinking about pink this time." She kept her tone deliberately casual.

"Lizzy!" Jane's blush deepened.

"Jane, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing sexy things for the man you love, especially if he's your husband or fiancé. Honestly, I like wearing lingerie, whether under my clothes or all by itself. In soft, lacy, pretty things I feel attractive and desirable. Also, it's like we're celebrating a special occasion, even if it's just some random Tuesday."

"I never thought of it like that."

"Well, come on then, let's hit the shops, I've got a whole new world to show you, Sister."

Jane laughed nervously. "Not now, Lizzy, I have to get back to the office."

Elizabeth looked at her watch. "Yeah, I do too, soon. How's Friday after work? I'll meet you at your office."

Jane agreed and the sisters parted ways after settling the check.

-o-o-o-o-

That Friday, Jane seemed particularly fidgety as she followed Elizabeth to a boutique lingerie store. She looked around nervously before they entered. "What if somebody sees me?"

"Then they'll know you wear underpants." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Come on Jane. Wasn't this your idea? I thought you owned some stuff like this already."

"No, nothing like this." Jane lightly fingered a satin bustier before drawing her hand back quickly as if it burned. "I mean, I have some nice camisoles and a few lacy pairs of," she lowered her voice, "panties."

Elizabeth dragged her sister to a fitting room where she closed the door to give them the illusion of privacy. "Seriously, Jane, what is the matter with you? You're not ashamed of having sex, are you?"

"No, of course not, I'm not doing anything wrong. Besides, Charles and I are getting married."

"I know he's not your first, what's with the squeamishness all of a sudden?"

"I'm not squeamish it's just that," she paused and sighed, "it's one thing to have sex, it's another thing for people to know you do it, I mean like know for sure." She whispered the word 'sex' as if there were nun nearby who might rap her knuckles just for mentioning it.

"Janie, I hate to break this to you, but you live with Charles, nobody over the age of thirteen who knows that that thinks you're celibate."

"What if I was, would – would that be so weird?"

"At this point in your relationship? Yes."

"You didn't sleep with Darcy before you married him."

"We were never engaged or I probably would have but that's not what I mean anyway. There's nothing wrong with waiting if that's what you decide, but you didn't. I mean, if you still lived with Uncle Ed's family, maybe abstinence wouldn't be shocking but you spend every night at Charles's house, most likely in his bed and I know you've been sleeping with him for a while. Why would you stop now?"

"I was thinking . . . to make our wedding night special?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "This is Mom's doing, isn't it?"

"She may have suggested – ah, mentioned it but it's really my decision."

"Have you talked to Charles about this plan of yours?"

"Not yet, but it makes sense."

"How? I'm sorry, this is your life and I'm not judging you for a decision that doesn't have anything to do with me, of course. I just can't wrap my mind around your determination at this time. Clearly I just don't see this the same way you do. Is the sex not good?"

"Lizzy! Jane lowered her voice even further as she blushed again. "Of course it's good, but we've decided to have children right away."

"You know you need sex for that, right?"

"Can you just stop saying that word in public?" She looked at her unapologetic sister and sighed. "I mean, I want to get pregnant right away after we're married and I have to be off the pill for some time first, so . . ." She trailed off, hoping that Elizabeth would figure out the rest.

"I have to tell you Jane, I have heard tell of an amazing new invention called the 'condom' that can help with just such a problem." Elizabeth pointed out sarcastically.

Jane sighed heavily, clearly frustrated that her sister was not understanding her. "Never mind."

"You're seriously telling me that Charles, having lived with you for months now, is not getting any for Valentine's Day! What are we doing in a lingerie store, then?"

"Oh no, of course not. We won't start – or stop, I guess until at least after Valentine's Day. I still want something nice, I mean sexy," she managed to say the word at a normal volume although she still looked around nervously, "to wear that night."

"Okay then, unless it affects our shopping trip, your sex life is none of my business, I guess. Let's pick some stuff." Elizabeth unlatched the fitting room door but before dragging her sister out into the store, she paused and turned back, unable to contain herself. "Look, Jane, I know you don't want to talk about this now and I thought I could let it go but I just have to say something. You've never been so squeamish about sex before. This really is about Mom isn't it? I know you've been spending a lot of time with her recently planning the wedding. I'm sorry that I've left her all to you, I just -"

"It's okay, Lizzy, I know you can't stand her interference. Plus, she's more worried about my wedding since it's real." Jane looked alarmed at her own words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean your wedding doesn't matter, I mean Mom said . . ." Clearly she did not want to repeat what it was that their mother had said.

"I understand, Jane and it's fine. I know that Mom's more focused on your wedding than my vow renewal. If mine doesn't happen, I'll still be married after all!" Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I have to admit that I've been playing up that point to keep her out of my hair. I swear though that I didn't realize what she was doing to you. I I never meant for you to be unduly pressured by her just because you're her only outlet."

"It's not Mom, well, it's not just Mom. Dad's been making some points too . . ."

"Oh my God, Jane. Dad cannot be taken seriously on this topic at all. He can't talk about it reasonably, he just looks at the men in his daughters' lives and freaks out when it occurs to him what we might be doing with them. Remember what happened the weekend of my birthday when he freaked out?" She waited for Jane's nod. "And I'm married! Look, you can do whatever you want, it's your life. I just want you to remember that you're an adult and what our parents think about this sort of thing doesn't matter at all. It's all about you and Charles."

"Wasn't your wedding night extra special though, since you hadn't ever done it before? I think there's a part of me that wants to capture that feeling."

"I can't say really say how special it was compared to other wedding nights, since I only had the one. Anyway, no matter how long you wait, I don't think you can make it like the first time again and I don't know why you'd want to."

Jane looked around, making sure they were still alone despite the open door. "Wasn't your wedding night . . . good?"

"Jane!" It was Elizabeth's turn to blush.

"What?" Her older sister teased. "I thought you were all liberated and able to talk about stuff."

"In general, sure, I have no problem with people assuming I have sex, I just don't plan to give specifics in public."

"The shoe's on the other foot now, huh Lizzy?"

"Okay, fine, tease me or whatever. Do you want me to answer your question?" She raised her eyebrow teasingly. Jane nodded. "It's not that my first time wasn't good, it's just that the experience improved when we got to know each other better that way, you know?" Her sister nodded again. "You and Charles share something now that it took time to achieve, don't imagine that it's not worth as much just because it isn't new anymore."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I always make sense, Janie. Come on, let's pick out something awesome for you or rather, for Charles." She took her sister's arm and led her back onto the sales floor where she somehow talked her into a red corset and thong, suppressing a giggle as Jane's face changed color to match her purchases as she paid for them.

-o-o-o-o-

That Sunday, Elizabeth, incredibly curious to discover her husband's secret, remained close to him all morning. By noon, however, she had somehow managed to talk herself out of her possibly unhealthy curiosity. A voice in her head, one that sounded irritatingly like Jane, told her that it was cruel of her to ruin her husband's surprise. Whatever it was clearly required a lot of planning and would likely be revealed to her on Thursday the fourteenth, anyway. With an internal sigh, she announced that she had schoolwork which required her attention and headed up to her study, allowing Darcy all the time he needed in order to make his inevitable escape.

Having made her decision, Elizabeth was now so determined to let him have his surprise, in fact, that every time an explanation tried to creep into her mind, she banished it as quickly as possible with thoughts of economics as she bent over her homework.

Several hours later, it was obvious that her distraction had worked when her husband entered her study and kissed the top of her head, startling her out of her concentration. He was dressed in different clothes than he had been that morning and was freshly showered but instead of drawing attention to his obvious mistakes when it came to sneaking around, Elizabeth allowed him to take her hand and lead her downstairs where they listened to Georgiana practice for what seemed like the hundredth time, her audition song for _Camelot_*, which her school would be putting on that spring.

After dinner, the three of them watched a movie together, during which Elizabeth cuddled into her husband's side, having nearly forgotten to be curious about his absence that day.

-o-o-o-o-

On Tuesday, Georgiana had her vocal audition and came home anxious, since the cast list would not be posted until the next week. She both desperately wanted a part and was petrified of getting one. Elizabeth had somehow made the terrifying idea of singing and acting in front of hundreds of people sound desirable but now that Georgiana had time to think about it, she was not sure she wanted that at all. Her patient sister-in-law listened to her concerns and stroked her hair comfortingly. The teenager could not help but wonder if this is what it would have been like to have a mother.

Wednesday evening, the day before Valentine's Day, the girl received a phone call, after which she stomped angrily around the house for an hour before she could be persuaded to admit the problem. Apparently, John had come down with the flu and would be unable to spend the romantic holiday with his girlfriend.

"I guess I'll just stay here and eat cookie dough! She pouted, her arms crossed over her chest.

Elizabeth could not help but notice the panicked look that crossed Darcy's face. She wondered if he was merely concerned for his sister's unhappiness or whether her being home would also interfere with his plans in some way. Still unsure, she made a tentative proposal.

"Maybe you could babysit tomorrow night."

Darcy brightened at the mere suggestion although he held his tongue.

"I think everyone's already pretty set for sitters." Georgiana pointed out sullenly.

"It's actually a hard night to find one, they're more in demand but less available. I bet you could even charge a premium! I know that my aunt and uncle weren't going to be able to go out tomorrow night . . ." Elizabeth trailed off knowing her suggestion was obvious but afraid to push too hard.

"This last minute, they won't be able to get a – oh! I can give them our reservation, I hope John hasn't canceled it." Her brow furrowed in thought, Georgiana made a brief call to her ailing boyfriend. "Okay," she said after hanging up, "the Gardiners can use the reservation John made, it's at a nice restaurant but it's in Evanston. Maybe they could drop the kids here on their way out, that might be easier."

"No!" Both ladies looked at Darcy when he spoke sharply. "I mean, that is not a good idea because they will be out later than bedtime. It would be impractical to move sleeping children."

"It would be silly, though, for them to pick me up and drop me off in the same direction as the restaurant." She paused a moment then added an afterthought. "I really need to get my license." Georgiana's natural timidity had kept her from being confident enough to take the driver's test soon after her birthday and the problem had only gotten worse once the winter weather had arrived.

"Goodrich can take you there and back."

"Don't you need him for your date?"

"I have a driver's license." Georgiana's eyes grew wide at what she perceived as a dig and Darcy was quick to notice. "I'm sorry, I only meant that I can drive us, or Elizabeth can. You need the Town Car more than we do tomorrow night."

Georgiana nodded, accepting his apology. "We shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves anyway, I need to call the Gardiners to solicit my services first. They might not even need me." She dialed the phone and left the room, unaware of the curious looks Elizabeth was shooting at her husband.

Darcy and Elizabeth were ready to sit down to dinner, waiting only on Georgiana to do so when the girl appeared in the kitchen, looking much happier than she had when she left it.

"Okay, as long as Goodrich can drive me, I'm all set for tomorrow night. The Gardiners are paying me twice my normal rate and John promised me a fancy makeup date next week!"

It was as if she had never been upset. As they ate dinner, she chatted happily about her plans for the children and her ideas regarding the romantic date her boyfriend would be required to take her on once he had recovered from his illness.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* Nancy Drew is a character created by Carolyn Keene who is known for being a girl detective. (From back in the day when people said things like "girl detective" instead of just "detective".)

* _Camelot_ is a Lerner & Loewe musical based on King Arthur / Queen Guinevere / Sir Lancelot. The title song from it is often associated with the Kennedy Administration, but that is not really applicable here.


	73. Chapter 73

_"Kelly's still alive?" You're all thinking, I am sure. Yes, I am still alive and I am very sorry that it took so incredibly long to post this chapter. I did not even start writing it before a couple of days ago. It is even unedited except where I took out the excessively descriptive parts, as always, for the version posted here. Anyway, there is no need for details but I had some very time consuming (although not tragic or anything) family stuff going on that required pretty much all of my attention for a while, so fanfiction writing (and reading, sadly) fell by the proverbial wayside for a time, as you all can obviously tell. I hope that the delays are over and I will be able to resume posting at a reasonable rate but I never like to make promises. Still, I will try. This is a fairly long chapter though, so you can consider it an apology if you like :)_

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

www. sites. google site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-73

_I thought that you could click on the homepage link that I put in my profile but apparently that is not showing up even though I just checked to make sure I entered it. I think it used to be a link but now it does not seem to show up on my bio at all, I am sorry about that. Anyway, try going to my google site, some people have found that it works with the www in front of it, some without. Alternately, you can google me (demonessk) I do not think anybody else uses that name and the last time I tried it, my site is the first thing to come up as a result._

_This chapter is 91% intact (and still a little naughty. Hey, it's Valentines' Day)_

**Chapter 73**

_Thursday 14 February_

When Elizabeth woke up on the morning of Valentine's Day, she found herself alone In bed with only a single red rose which lay across her husband's abandoned pillow for company. Bringing the flower to her nose for a whiff of its aroma, she smiled; he was already off to a romantic start for the day.

She showered and dressed and headed for the kitchen where she found her husband chatting with Mrs. Reynolds while the older woman made pancakes. When Elizabeth smiled and ran the soft petals of the rose down the side of Darcy's face, he nodded to the housekeeper and stepped away from her.

"I missed you this morning." Elizabeth said quietly when they were out of earshot.

"You were not all alone." Darcy pointed out, turning his head to gently kiss the rose she held.

"I couldn't exactly do to a flower what I wanted to do to you," she rose on her tiptoes so that she could whisper toward his ear, "even if it has been thoughtfully de-thorned." She was gratified to see him flush slightly at her words. "Happy Valentine's Day, Fitzwilliam."

He kissed her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Elizabeth, the first of many."

Georgiana appeared in the kitchen just as Mrs. Reynolds was ready to serve breakfast.

"Oh," Elizabeth exclaimed as a pancake was set before her, "they are shaped like hearts, how lovely!"

Her sister-in-law smiled around the bite she had already taken then chewed quickly in order to respond. "It's a Valentine's Day tradition, try the strawberry topping."

Elizabeth did as she was told and agreed that breakfast was indeed delightful. Then looked from her husband to his sister. "Do the two of you have other specific traditions? I hope that I'm not throwing a wrench into anything."

"Neither of us has ever had anybody else with whom to share this holiday." Darcy explained, placing a hand on his wife's knee, smiling at her reaction when his touch went from comforting to sensual beneath the table.

"Really, you've never had a girlfriend in February? Even I have occasionally had someone to be my Valentine and I've dated less than you."

Her husband pressed his lips together, his eyes unreadable. Georgiana answered for him. "He used to use me as an excuse if that happened, like; 'I can't spend Valentine's Day with you, Dear, I have a tradition to uphold with my poor little orphaned sister.' I suspect that I've gotten him out of more dates than I realize." She mimicked her brother's deep voice when speaking, eliciting laughs from everyone else in the room.

"How did you feel about being used as an excuse?" Elizabeth asked the girl.

"Oh, it was fine when I didn't have anybody of my own to spend Valentine's day with but I might have been annoyed if he tried to encroach on my time with John now that I don't really have to be alone!"

"I'm sorry that you can't spend this evening with your boyfriend, Georgie, especially since I'm stealing your usual date."

"Oh, it's okay." Georgiana was much more cheerful than she had been after John had initially called to break their date. "When we go out next week to celebrate, the restaurant will be way less busy. Plus, this way I make some extra money and I can talk on the phone with John after the kids go to bed; if he's still awake, that is. I mean, I guess I'm a little disappointed too, but it's mostly working out okay."

Darcy was pleased to hear his sister's pride regarding earning her own money. He had fretted some over the idea that he was spoiling her, especially after the disagreement he and Elizabeth had had over the teenager's car. Although he felt it important to instill in Georgiana an understanding of the value of a dollar, as their father had done for him, he also could not bear to deny her anything. Fortunately, Georgiana was blessed with a sweet and appreciative disposition and although she took a certain amount of her charmed life for granted, her brother and guardian was gratified to note the genuine effort she put into making money of her own.

"Just because we are forgoing our usual tradition this year, do not think I forgot you, Georgie." Darcy addressed his sister as he rose from the table and moved briefly into the dining room, returning with a bouquet of colorful Gerbera Daisies, which he presented to her along with a kiss on her forehead.

She leaped to her feet and threw her empty arm around him. "Thank you, Brother, I think this Valentine's Day will be just fine."

-o-o-o-o-

Thursday was Elizabeth's busiest day of classes and a newly assigned group project kept her on campus even longer than originally planned. When she finally returned home, it was after six o'clock. Although she did not know what time their reservation was, she was certain that she would have to hurry in order to be ready on time. She unlocked the door to the house and rushed to the stairway, catching a whiff of something delightful as she passed the kitchen.

Slowing as she mounted the stairs, Elizabeth recognized the scents of beef and mushrooms in the air as well as something buttery. Georgiana must have already left to babysit at the Gardiners, the Town Car was missing from the garage, so the food could not be for her. Besides, Elizabeth noted, it was a familiar group of scents and unlikely to be a coincidence; Mrs. Reynolds cooking one of her favorite meals this evening. Darcy must be planning for them to eat in tonight.

Elizabeth ruminated that it would make dressing easier, since she would not have to put on so formal a gown as some of the best restaurants in town demanded. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more grateful she was to be staying home that evening although she could not shake a twinge of guilt at the idea of Mrs. Reynolds having to work on her usual afternoon off. Still, Darcy was always a generous employer and it was likely that he would give the housekeeper an extra day or too off from work in order to compensate.

Reaching her bedroom, she was pleased to see Darcy not present. Locking the door, Elizabeth reached into the back of a drawer and retrieved the bag containing her new lingerie then went to her closet to select a dress.

-o-o-o-o-

After hurrying through fixing up her hair and makeup, Elizabeth descended the stairs. The mouth-watering scent becoming stronger as she descended each step. Finally, upon reaching the kitchen, she was startled by an unfamiliar sight.

Dinner was being prepared but Mrs. Reynolds was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Elizabeth was greeted by the view of a broad back in a dress shirt and trousers standing before the stove. It was a back she knew well, even clad in a shirt she had selected. The strange part was the crooked bow around the man's waist. It took Elizabeth a few seconds to realize that her husband was, in fact, wearing an apron.

"Fitzwilliam!"

"Oh, hello Sweetheart, I thought I heard you come in a few minutes ago." He turned around and broke into a grin at the sight of Elizabeth.

She was wearing a black dress with short ruffled sleeves and a deeply cut neck. The expanse of flesh below her throat was adorned with emeralds and diamonds while matching stones winked at each ear. Elizabeth had styled her hair simply, pinning the sides away from her face and allowing curls to cascade down her back. The dress she wore was relatively short, although nowhere near indecently so and Darcy's eyes traveled from the hem of the dress down her legs and came to rest on her bare feet. His lips twitched as he contained a laugh.

"No shoes this evening, Elizabeth?"

"I thought freedom for my toes was one of the benefits of dining at home."

"It is one I had not considered. Of course, with you not in heels, I have to resort to other methods in order to kiss you." He lifted her off of her feet so that her mouth was at the same level as his own and pressed their lips together.

When he released her, Elizabeth let out a moan as she slid down his body until her feet touched the ground once more. She reached up to wipe a small smudge of lipstick from his mouth.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my love." He sat down to remove his own shoes, debating what to do about his socks as she looked around the kitchen.

"You too. Where's Mrs. Reynolds?"

"I imagine she is wherever she usually goes on Thursdays if she is not at home. It is also possible that she has a date, although were that the case, she would likely have mentioned something of it."

"Did she just leave? Why are you wearing an apron?"

Darcy decided to leave his socks on, as his suit would look especially silly with completely bare feet, and washed his hands before turning back to dinner and responding to his questioning wife. "As far as I know, she left at her usual time, before I returned home from work. I am wearing an apron so that I do not ruin the lovely shirt and tie my wife picked out for me."

"Did you make dinner all by yourself?"

"I did. Well, Mrs. Reynolds left me prepared dough for the rolls, but otherwise, yes."

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I can now. Well, one dish at least, an entire meal even."

Elizabeth burst into laughter so hard she had to sit down before she collapsed.

"I never thought that we were so ingrained in traditional gender roles that you imagined me completely unable to cook, Elizabeth. Elizabeth?" He repeated her name when she showed no indication that she had heard him. "Well, if my making dinner is so funny . . . " Darcy began to untie his apron, well it was Mrs. Reynolds's apron, but it was the one he was wearing at the moment, when he felt Elizabeth's hand stop him from doing so.

"No, it's not that. I think it's great that you made dinner, I just had a slightly unrelated realization that struck me as funny."

Darcy turned off the stove and approached the table, looking at his wife expectantly.

"No, no, finish what you need to do, it looks like you're almost done. What I have to say will keep."

Darcy was, in fact, almost done and he bade Elizabeth move into the dining room where he pulled out her chair before returning to the kitchen and proudly returning with several dishes which he laid out in turn. There was beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, roasted green beans, and warm dinner rolls. He darted into his study to swap the apron for his suit coat, then poured out two glasses of wine, filled their plates, and finally seated himself.

At last, their conversation could begin.

"You've been sneaking around for a couple of weeks, the past few Sundays, specifically." Elizabeth's voice was more casually observational than accusatory.

"You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed when I couldn't find you all afternoon! Neither of your cars were gone though and I couldn't think of any neighbors you'd be visiting. Richard said he didn't know anything and Jane told me Charles hadn't been out at that time so I didn't know who would be picking you up either, although I thought Richard might be lying, I can't believe now it didn't occur to me!" Elizabeth was incredulous at herself.

"Why didn't you ask me where I was going if you were so curious?"

She rolled her eyes. "It was obvious you didn't want me to find out but you know how I can't wait for surprises – I almost followed you this past Sunday."

Darcy leaned forward, he was the curious one now, about her reaction. "You did not follow me, though. What prevented you from doing so if you wondered so very much?"

"Well, I knew you were sneaking around and keeping a secret from me, I just assumed it was something Valentine's Day related, and I was right, of course. It never even crossed my mind that you might be seeing another woman." She laughed again but was able to get herself under control reasonably quickly. "Of course, it turns out you actually were seeing another woman, the only other woman in your life who isn't related to you!"

Darcy furrowed his brow, concerned for a moment that she did, in fact, think him unfaithful. Fortunately, before he could protest what might sound like an accusation were it not for her teasing tone, he looked at his wife's face again and saw that she was still smiling.

"Did it really take Mrs. Reynolds three weeks to teach you how to make stroganoff?"

Darcy's face relaxed, she did understand what had been going on when he disappeared. "Thank you."

Elizabeth looked at him strangely due to the abrupt subject change. "For what?"

"For trusting me. It never occurred to me that my activity might be seen as suspicious. I tried to time my visits to Mrs. Reynolds's guest house for when you were busy with school work or Foundation business. I assumed since you were otherwise occupied, you would not notice my absence. I suppose now that such behavior could have been construed in another way."

"I guess it could but honestly, Fitzwilliam, you've never given me any reason to doubt you. Besides," she winked at him, "I don't know where you would get the energy for an affair." She stretched out a bare foot and ran it along one of his calves before beginning to inch it up his pant leg.

"Seriously though, I appreciate your trust in me."

"I honestly didn't think of it as being anything special." Elizabeth was puzzled by his gratitude. "You've never given me any reason not to trust you and I imagine you never will."

"Never." He agreed.

"So, even though I trust you completely and know you were with the lovely Mrs. Reynolds and not some floozy, I am still baffled as to how a smart guy like you could require three weeks to learn how to make this? Not that it isn't worth it!" She added quickly. "I love the menu and you did a great job executing it."

It was Darcy's turn to laugh. "You are right, of course, it did not take me three sessions for one dinner. It is a good thing that we started early because at first, I asked to learn chicken parmesan . . . "

"Another of my favorites," Elizabeth interrupted with a smile, "you do know me."

"It is my utmost goal in life to know everything about you, my love."

"Corny, but sweet and appreciated; go on."

"Well, I had some issues with the pounding of the chicken and the breading process turned into a real mess so when I went back the next week, I asked Mrs. Reynolds to teach me stroganoff."

"A wise choice." Elizabeth took a bite of the dish and smiled appreciatively.

"Anyway, that took an afternoon, although I must admit that she did make me a cheat sheet upon which I relied heavily today."

"There's no shame in that, most people just call it a 'recipe' and refer to it whenever they cook."

Darcy acknowledged her teasing with a smile. "This past Sunday, she was teaching me to make dessert."

"Ooh, what did you make?"

"It is a surprise, you will just have to wait."

She pouted and her protruding lower lip combined with the gentle attention her foot was still paying to his leg left Darcy no choice but to lean over and kiss her. He was glad that he had thought to set their places on either side of a corner so that although they were facing each other, they could also easily touch.

Elizabeth moaned slightly as he pulled away and took a sip of wine. "You know I abhor waiting, Fitzwilliam."

"You will not have to wait long, Sweetheart, just until you have finished your dinner."

"What if I don't want to wait; if I say I'm finished now?" She took another bite, managing a teasing smile as she chewed,

"Well then, you won't have enough energy for certain after-dinner activities."

She let out a slight snort. "I always have enough energy for that as long as you don't top up my wine too often."

With a smile, Darcy reached for the wine bottle and refilled her glass. "Sometimes I like you a bit drunk, I think it makes you more flexible."

She raised an eyebrow and took a long swallow of the burgundy liquid. "Flexible, hah! Which one of us can put a leg behind her head?"

"I am fairly confident, Sweetheart, that I could easily maneuver one of my legs behind your head if I only tried a bit."

After laughing so hard that she nearly choked on her wine, Elizabeth responded. "What makes you so playful tonight?"

"You." He responded simply and leaned forward to kiss her again.

It was a brief and chaste peck but left Elizabeth smiling nonetheless. She loved his irreverent moods. When she had first met Fitzwilliam Darcy, such playfulness in him seemed unthinkable but as she got to know him better and he grew more comfortable in her presence, glimpses of the man he truly was beneath his cool, professional exterior became less few and far between. It had been Darcy's goodness and honorable behavior that had made her like him but it was his vulnerable and loving nature that had caused her to fall in love.

They finished their meal companionably and Elizabeth was nearly giddy when her husband rose to fetch dessert. She was terribly curious to know what he had made, what he had learned to make just for her.

He returned quickly with a bottle of champagne and two flutes in one hand and a covered dish in the other.

Elizabeth clapped her hands in a delighted and childlike manner when he set down his burdens and revealed the dessert. "Lemon pie! I love lemon pie, but that doesn't look like meringue." She furrowed her brow slightly and indicated the slightly crooked white fluff which topped the treat.

"I know you do not prefer meringue. It is whipped cream."

She stood to kiss him as he began serving the dish. "You really do know me."

"I thought we had established that." He paused to kiss her back. "I whipped the cream myself. Did you know you could do that with a wisk?"

"I did, and I am proud of you for learning it. It looks great." She sat back down and waited until he had served her a piece of pie and a glass of champagne, the latter of which she raised in a toast. "To the best husband a girl could ask for on Valentine's Day."

He lightly clinked his glass against her own. "I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, Fitzwilliam." She took a bite of the homemade dessert. "Ooh, that's delectable. You made it all yourself?"

"Well, Mrs. Reynolds made the crust but I did the rest of it." He sounded so earnest, she almost laughed.

"You did a fantastic job with it. Is there any whipped cream left?"

"No, I only made enough for the pie. Do you think it needs more?"

"It's not that, I was just thinking . . . never mind, it'll keep." Elizabeth ate enthusiastically but did not ask for another slice.

When they had finished eating, she rose to clear the table but Darcy refused her help, suggesting instead that she find some music suitable for dancing.

"A dance sounds nice, I'll see you in there soon." She agreed.

-o-o-o-o-

By the time Darcy entered the living room, soft music was emanating from the speakers hidden in the wall. Without words, he invited Elizabeth to dance by extending his hand. She accepted it and moved close to his body, sighing with pleasure as one of his large hands curled around her waist.

They moved together for some time, Darcy's hand stroking slowly from his wife's upper back all the way to the curve of her buttocks while she rested her head against his chest. Finally, she broke the comfortable silence.

"You're right, this is the problem with not wearing shoes."

"Hmm?"

"I enjoyed it during dinner but without the added height, I can't really reach to kiss you. I think you might be a little excessive on the 'tall dark and handsome' front; well, the first part at least."

With both hands at her waist, Darcy gently pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. "Rise up on your toes, I will meet you halfway." The smile on his face suggested a teasing nature to the suggestion, but he did bend down enough so that his lips were even with her nose.

Rising onto the balls of her feet, Elizabeth met his lips with her own, making a soft pleasurable noise at the contact. They were not kissing for long before she felt his hands at her bottom, lifting her against his body, she rose even further on her toes to accommodate him. Although slightly uncomfortable, Elizabeth deemed the position worth it as she could now feel so much more of his body pressing against her own.

As if sensing her discomfort, Darcy began to move. After nearly running into the coffee table, he managed to find the sofa and before long, Elizabeth found herself reclining upon the furniture with her husband looming over her.

They remained like that for some time, touching and kissing. Elizabeth removed Darcy's tie and tossed it aside. When she began to unbutton his shirt, however, he pulled away to stop her progress.

"We cannot do this here."

"Oh my God, you're right, anybody might walk in on us!" Elizabeth sat up abruptly and began attempting to tame her hair. Darcy always liked to run his fingers through it when they were kissing.

"Do not worry about that, Elizabeth, we are quite alone in the house. Mrs. Reynolds won't return until tomorrow morning and I have your uncle's assurance that he will keep your aunt, and consequently Georgiana, out for another," he glanced at his watch, "two hours at least."

"Well, then? Why don't you want to add the couch to our repertoire?"

Darcy laughed slightly. "I have something better planned; come along."

With a slight roll of her eyes, Elizabeth allowed him to help her up from the sofa, continuing to hold his hand as they climbed two flights of stairs to their bedroom.

-o-o-o-o-

Elizabeth was surprised when, instead of stopping at the bed, Darcy led her through to the bathroom.

"You want to celebrate Valentine's Day on the counter?"

"Elizabeth, please, show some decorum, this is a saint's day." Darcy pursed his lips in mock disapproval. "Also, I was thinking of the bathtub."

She burst into laughter and gave his hand a tug, causing him to step back toward her for another embrace.

"Did you get rose petals and candles and everything?" She asked in a slightly amused tone.

"I did." He sounded slightly offended at her teasing and she laughed again.

"That sounds lovely and I'd love to clog the drain with them later but at the moment, I want to show you what I bought for you. Well, for me, but for you to look at and admire."

Darcy smiled wolfishly, sure she was referring to lingerie. "I would not want to miss that show, the bath will keep."

He let her lead him back to the bedroom where she adjusting the lighting to suit the mood and stood expectantly before the bed. "Well? Don't you want to unwrap me?" She removed her necklace and earrings and placed them on her dresser.

"Every moment of every day, Sweetheart, no matter the circumstances."

"You are such a focused man, I find that hard to believe." She turned so that he could easily reach the zipper on her dress.

"I am focused on you every moment when you are near me."

"Well, that leaves most of your day free to work, at least."

"I did not say those were the only moments."

"Oh, no?"

"There is a picture on my desk, from our wedding. Just yesterday, I was on the telephone with an associate in Germany discussing a possible acquisition. I had to ask him to repeat himself when I realized I had not heard a word for nearly three minutes as I was busy recalling what you wore under that dress."

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, for shame!" She stood in her slip as her dress pooled on the floor, hands on her hips, lips pursed in amusement. "You are a professional, what did the poor man do then?"

"He apologized for speaking too fast, since German is not my native language, and repeated himself in English. I must say, that conversation was much easier to understand, I could even carry on while otherwise occupied."

Elizabeth laughed again and raised her arms so that he could remove her slip, smiling in a satisfied manner at his gasp to see her sheer pink undergarments.

"Oh, Elizabeth." He did nothing but stare at her for a long moment before finally going to his dresser to retrieve something from the top drawer. It was a small package wrapped in red paper and he held it out silently.

"Thank you." Elizabeth sat on the bed and began unwrapping it. "You can take your clothes off too, you know, so I don't feel like some sort of object, here."

"I did not mean – "

"Of course not," she stopped unwrapping the package to look at him sympathetically, "I'm the one who bought the sexy underthings and got the fancy bikini wax and I wouldn't have done those things if I didn't want you to look at me, I'd just rather you look at me while similarly undressed. You know, you're pretty hot yourself." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and returned to unwrapping her present, doing it as slowly as possible so that she would not get it open until he was as undressed as she was.

Finally, Darcy stood before her in nothing but a pair of red silk boxers, as she lifted the lid from her small box. He sat beside her as she saw the contents and gasped.

"Oh, Fitzwilliam, I love it." She lifted out a thin gold chain with a ruby pendant. It was a beautiful red stone that managed to reflect the dim light just right in order to look as if it glowed on its own.

"I almost bought this for you last year."

"We weren't together last Valentine's Day, that was before you came to Florida." Elizabeth looked slightly confused.

"No, it was in May, you had just told me that you loved me and I wanted to buy you something nice before we were to have a picnic in the park. I went to that jewelry store near my office and . . . "

"Ended up buying my wedding ring." She finished in a whisper. "I'm glad then, that you didn't get this that day, although it is beautiful." She kissed him then turned away. "Put it on me."

After fastening the necklace, he leaned forward to kiss the nape of her neck while his hands swept down her arms. "I could hardly believe it was still there when I went shopping just a few weeks ago, it seems like it was meant to be yours." With gentle hands, he moved her so that she lay on her back across the bed.

For a few moments he was content to just admire her but they both wanted more.

-o-o-o-o-

"Aah, that was, as always, wonderful." Elizabeth sighed after they lay in sated silence for a few moments. She fingered her new necklace. "Maybe I should take this off so we can get into the tub. If you got fresh rose petals, they won't be quite so pleasant tomorrow."

Darcy smiled and kissed her chest directly below where the pendant fell. "You can leave it on, a little warm water will hardly hurt metal and stone."

"That's a good point and I really do want to share that bath with you but I don't particularly want to get out of bed to walk to there." She gave another contented sigh that turned into a groan of protest when her husband removed her arm from across his chest and rose from the bed.

He disappeared into the bathroom, which was soon filled with the sound of running water. Elizabeth reclined on the still made bed, smiling as she fastened her hair atop her head then fingered her new necklace for several minutes until the water stopped and Darcy returned to retrieve her. Instead of pulling her to her feet, however, he placed one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees, cradling her against his chest as he carried her to the steamy bathroom.

In a short period of time, he had managed to transform the tiled room to a romantic haven. A floral scent wafted in the air, more than would likely have come from the red rose petals which were scattered across the top of the water. Candles on the counter and around the tub illuminated the room in place of the overhead light. Romantic music played on a small stereo, softly enough that she had been unable to hear it from the bed.

Elizabeth smiled and kissed her husband's shoulder. "This has been, without a doubt, the best Valentine's Day I have ever had. Thank you, Fitzwilliam."

"Thank you, Elizabeth, for being my wonderful wife." He lowered her into the water then began to slide in behind her before Elizabeth spoke again.

"Would this be a good time to mention that my mother is joining us for dinner on Saturday?"

He fell the rest of the way into the tub, landing with a splash that extinguished two candles.


	74. Chapter 74

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

www. sites. google site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-74

_I thought that you could click on the homepage link that I put in my profile but apparently that is not showing up even though I just checked to make sure I entered it. I think it used to be a link but now it does not seem to show up on my bio at all, I am sorry about that. Anyway, try going to my google site, some people have found that it works with the www in front of it, some without. Alternately, you can google me (demonessk) I do not think anybody else uses that name and the last time I tried it, my site is the first thing to come up as a result._

_As has apparently become my habit, this chapter is unedited, apart from my removal of the more graphic descriptions of, well, you know. Anyway, I know my standards are going south but I do not want to leave you all waiting too long for each chapter and someday, when I have finished the story, I will proofread it in its entirety and repost (at least I plan to do so)._

_This chapter is 79% intact (and still a little naughty because apparently my writing has gotten more porn-y)_

**Chapter 74**

_Saturday 16 February_

Elizabeth may have only given her husband two days of warning regarding Mrs. Bennet's impending visit but she had the foresight to tell Mrs. Reynolds a full week in advance; giving the housekeeper time to plan a menu and prepare for what Elizabeth referred to as "the invasion" under her breath. In a blatant attempt to dilute her mother's overbearing presence, Elizabeth had invited the Gardiners as well, offering Georgiana the option to preside over a "kids' table" in the kitchen rather than join the adults in the dining room.

"It's not that I see you as a kid," she explained to the teenager that morning, "I know you're much closer to my age than to Doug's, it's just that my mother can be . . . "

"Intimidating?"

"I was going to say crazy but sure, let's go with that. Anyway, what do you think?"

"It's fine, you know I love those boys and your mom does scare me a little bit." Georgiana flushed slightly to make such an admission. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, she scares me too, sometimes but remember, her bark is worse than her bite."

"You know, Lizzy, I'm glad you're my sister." Georgiana said with a hug.

Elizabeth did not fully comprehend the change of subject but she hugged the girl back. "I'm glad you're my sister too."

-o-o-o-o-

"Why didn't you invite me to stay here?" Mrs. Bennet demanded as she walked into the Darcy house that evening. "You have plenty of room."

"Charles and Jane have plenty of room as well, Mom, and that's where you're needed at the moment."

Darcy helped his mother-in-law out of her coat then hurried away to hang it up, happy to escape her notice. The woman seemed agitated already as she followed her daughter into the living room.

"You need me too, Lizzy. Aren't you planning a wedding as well?"

"I have a wedding planner taking care of everything, all Darcy and I do is make a decision once in a while."

"How do you know she's doing a good job? You have to stay on top of these people, they can be so lazy!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw Jane rolling her eyes. This particular line of complaint must have been going on for some time to have even serene Jane reacting to it. At that moment, Elizabeth greatly pitied Jane and Bingley's wedding planner.

"Julie Chao came highly recommended, Mother. She is doing an enormous amount of work so that all I generally have to do is pick A or B. Sometimes I can do it via text message."

"Really, Lizzy, you can't pick out a wedding dress by texting!" Mrs. Bennet was appalled.

"Oh, I didn't, that bit took a ton of work and nearly made me rethink the whole thing but It's calmed down since and I'm feeling good about this wedding business." She turned to Jane. "How is your wedding coming along?"

"Pretty well, actually. I'm not so sure about the cummerbunds but – "

"Cummerbunds are classic. You'd trust my judgment if it weren't for that snooty wedding planner. Are you paying her to disrespect me?" Mrs. Bennet was quick to dismiss her daughter's concern.

"I am paying her, or rather Charles is, for her expertise and contacts." Jane said, with a tightness that suggested it was an oft repeated phrase.

"Hmph!" Mrs. Bennet folded her arms over her chest and looked unimpressed. Just as she was about to speak again, Darcy pressed a glass of wine into her hand.

"I thought you might be thirsty." He offered, as an explanation.

The drink only slowed Mrs. Bennet slightly and she went on to list more things that were wrong with Jane's upcoming wedding until the Gardiners arrived a few minutes later.

-o-o-o-o-

Georgiana beamed widely at the adorable face of little Helen and happily took her from Mrs. Gardiner as soon as she walked through the door. The baby squealed happily and grabbed for the teenager's hair.

"I'm sorry, that seems to be a new thing with her." Mrs. Gardiner apologized. "If you pull your hair back, you should be fine." She turned around and called toward the driveway. "Boys, leave your swords in the car and come inside. You need to say hello to Aunt Fran!"

Their unison groan of disappointment made Georgiana smile. Her grin widened further when the boys finally entered the house. Doug was wearing a cardboard eye patch fastened to his head with pink yarn, yarn that was a perfect match to his baby sister's sweater.

"I'm a pirate!" He announced proudly, striking a pose that made his mother laugh out loud. "Arrrr!"

"And a fearsome one at that!" Georgiana agreed.

Mr. Gardiner came to the door next, carrying a collapsed playpen. Trailing behind and holding onto one of his pant legs was his younger son. "Imma double pirate!" Steven insisted, not looking at anybody in particular. His lack of focus was scarcely odd since, in a clear attempt to outdo his brother, the little boy wore two eye patches, rendering him essentially sightless.

"I see that, but a double pirate sounds a little too scary. Maybe you could take one off just for me?" Georgiana bent close to the boy, handing Helen back to Mrs. Gardiner as she did so.

"For you." Steven agreed, and removed one eye patch.

"They watched _Pirates of the Caribbean_ this afternoon at a friend's house." Mr. Gardiner explained. "I don't know why they insisted on being pirates themselves though, they both came home terrified."

"Pirates aren't scared of nothing!" Doug insisted. "And we're pirates now, too!"

"I see." Georgiana nodded solemnly. "Well, why don't you go say hi to everybody, then we can find something fun to do?" She turned to Mr. Gardiner. "You can set up Helen's playpen in the family room if you want, that's where I was going to take the boys to play until dinner."

Georgiana had managed to escape Mrs. Bennet's observation earlier but when she entered the living room, a tiny pirate at the end of each hand, she could not help but be noticed.

"Hi Aunt Fran." The boys said, nearly in unison.

"Well, don't you boys look silly." Mrs. Bennet's voice held no hint of teasing.

"Mom!" Elizabeth admonished.

"Now, now, Lizzy, you shouldn't encourage children to be hooligans. That's why I had all girls, they're so much better behaved than boys."

"Sure, Mom, you planned it that way. That's why you never complained that we girls were too expensive over and over again." Elizabeth rose to hug her cousins then quietly encouraged Georgiana to take them elsewhere. After a quick hug from Jane, they were happy to leave the room.

When they discovered a brand new set of Legos*, the boys completely forgot about everyone else around them

-o-o-o-o-

In the kitchen during dinner, Georgiana was glad that she had agreed to Elizabeth's scheme for a kids' table. Despite her fondness for the Gardiner children, she had been a bit affronted by the idea at first. Now, however, listening to Mrs. Bennet's constant stream of complaints from the other room, there was nothing she wanted more than to be spooning mashed sweet potato into Helen's toothless mouth.

"Poor Lizzy." She muttered under her breath, feeling fortunate even as she wiped stray orange goop from her own face.

In the dining room, tensions were running high. It seemed that Mrs. Bennet was more than a bit upset at Jane and Bingley's wedding planner, as the woman refused to work into the wedding every single demand of the bride's mother.

"It probably won't be a disaster or anything, but it won't be as nice as it could be if she'd just listen to me!" The older woman pouted. "She absolutely refuses to serve caviar at the reception."

"Mom, like I said before, she's not trying to antagonize you, it just doesn't go with the rest of the menu." Jane said as soothingly as possible.

"What's the point of marrying a rich man if you can't have caviar at the wedding?"

"Oh, I don't know," Elizabeth said dryly, "to spend the rest of my life with the man I love?"

"Lizzy, don't be a smart aleck. I'm not even sure I want to know what that woman you hired is planning to serve."

"In all honesty, Mom, I don't know myself yet."

"What?"

"We went with her to the caterers and tried a bunch of samples. We then told her what we liked, so I have some idea of what we might get but I don't think she could possibly work with every single one of our favorites, so the final menu will be a bit of a surprise."

"How can you let that happen? This woman will ruin your wedding!"

"She will do nothing of the kind. She does weddings like this all of the time and I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm way more likely to ruin things than she is. Besides, I'm so busy with school and work – "

"Work? Why are you working?" She looked at Darcy accusingly. "Is that school you don't need too expensive?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Elizabeth spoke first. "I mean my volunteer work, you remember me telling you about the Fitzwilliam Foundation."

"Oh, that. Well, you shouldn't spend too much time with that since they aren't paying you."

Elizabeth sighed deeply and was not subtle in her bid to change the subject. "So, how is everything in Ann Arbor?"

Mrs. Bennet went on for a time about the local gossip and Elizabeth let her eyes glaze over as her mother mentioned some people even she did not know. Eventually, the topic of conversation turned back to Jane's wedding and how, as matron of honor, it was Elizabeth's responsibility to make sure it ran smoothly.

"How did this come back to me?" Elizabeth asked Darcy under her breath before heaving a sigh and addressing her mother. "For the umpteenth time, that is what wedding planners are for. My jobs as maid of honor," she steadfastly refused to refer to herself as a matron despite her mother's odd insistence, "include wearing a specific dress, making sure Jane gets drunk at her bachelorette party but not at her wedding, and driving the getaway car if she gets cold feet."

"What?" Bingley seemed to notice the topic of conversation for the first time. "Why would Jane get cold feet?"

"She won't, I'm just saying that I'm on her side."

"Why are there sides?" Bingley was seriously concerned that he had missed something but calmed a bit when Darcy shook his head in reassurance.

Elizabeth just rolled her eyes and when she saw Mrs. Reynolds standing in the doorway with a tray, she gave a forced smile. "Now, who wants dessert?"

-o-o-o-o-

"Well," Elizabeth said as they watched the car containing her mother disappear down the driveway, "that was delightful."

"I had fun." Georgiana commented.

"I know you did, I wonder how I can talk my way into sitting at the kids' table next time and frankly, I want to play with Legos, too."

"They're still in the family room, Lizzy, if you want to build a tower." After dinner, while Mrs. Bennet had continued to make herself obnoxious among the adults, Georgiana had been working on building a city with the Gardiner boys while the baby slept in her playpen.

"I might take you up on that, I think I need to do something to decompress. My mother was in rare form tonight."

"Indeed she was." Darcy ushered the ladies inside and locked the door. "She tends to be . . . enthusiastic but I do not recall her being quite that worked up before today."

"It's the wedding – weddings, I mean. She didn't get to have a fancy wedding so she's always had these fairy tale fantasies for when her daughters got married. I used to ignore it pretty well but now that it's really happening, she's getting pretty unbearable."

"Why didn't they do a vow renewal later, perhaps after they had enough money to do so? I imagine that could have fulfilled her need."

"My dad's not exactly the romantic type to go in for all that. Besides, the original problem wasn't a lack money." Elizabeth chuckled a bit. "Neither of my parents grew up rich or anything but they weren't poor either and my grandparents could have swung a decent wedding if there had been time to plan."

"What do you mean, time?" Georgiana asked.

"Well, they don't exactly like to advertise it or anything but my parents had kind of a shotgun wedding. Jane was born just six months after they tied the knot in a little courthouse ceremony."

"Oh, that's too bad. A wedding should be happy."

"A wedding doesn't have to be big to be happy, you know. Your brother and I didn't exactly have much of a ceremony but it was still the best day of my life." Darcy rewarded her sentiment with a kiss on the cheek. "Even so, I'm glad we're doing this vow renewal because a wedding is also something to share with your loved ones and even thought it's turning into a bit of a three ring circus, I think it will provide us with a set of memories and wedding pictures that we can treasure. Anyway, I think a marriage, even more than the wedding, is what you make of it and my parents have always treated theirs like a burden, I hope never to be like that."

"I promise, Elizabeth, we won't." Darcy kissed her again. "Now, it is getting late."

Georgiana did not really think that it was but she did not argue when they headed upstairs to their respective bedrooms.

-o-o-o-o-

The instant that Georgiana's door closed, Darcy grabbed Elizabeth around the waist even as they continued to climb the stairs. "I believe I was promised some recompense for my good behavior." He murmured into her ear.

"Was that good behavior? You hardly spoke a word." She broke free of his grasp and ran up the stairs.

"Yes, and if I had spoken more, you would have been less pleased with my behavior." He reached out but she escaped just in time, rushing into the bedroom with a slight giggle.

"Seriously, Fitzwilliam, I'm sorry about my mother, she really was in rare form tonight."

"I think you're right, about her living vicariously through the weddings of her daughters, especially Jane."

Elizabeth removed her earrings as Darcy unfastened her necklace and put it aside. "I think there are two reasons for that. One, Jane is more pliant than me and Bingley is way more pliant than you."

"You could think of a way or two to ply me, Elizabeth."

"I don't know, you're an in charge kind of guy." At his raised eyebrow, she gestured to her body. "Look at us; I'm down to my underwear and you're still fully dressed."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, like I believe you didn't notice this." Elizabeth scoffed and sat down on the bed to roll down her stockings.

"I always notice you, Sweetheart, I meant that I had hardly noticed our disparity."

"It's par for the course, you know. Next time, I demand that you take your clothes off first."

"I think that can be arranged." He removed his tie and began to unbutton his shirt, never taking his eyes off of her form.

"In fact, you're a bit of a control freak in general, I've noticed."

"How so?" He might be concerned about the criticism except that her tone was playful.

"You're just in charge of everything, examples escape me but it's true. I know that's something you're used to at work and with Georgie but I want to be consulted."

He was confused. "Is this about Valentine's Day?"

"No, surprises are fine, it's just in general." She finished undressing and bent to retrieve her dress from the floor, taking it and her undergarments to the hamper in her closet as he finished undressing.

"Perhaps this is adolescent of me, Elizabeth, but I am almost entirely unable to process serious issues when you are walking around nude."

Elizabeth smiled. "Okay, non-serious issues, I have those too." She smiled wickedly and walked over to her dresser and bent to retrieve something from the bottom drawer.

Darcy groaned at the view she presented. "Please tell me this is leading somewhere good."

Elizabeth looked at his face and smiled. "I think you'll like it just fine." She held up a handful of colorful silk. "My mother went through a phase where she tried to get me to wear scarves, it didn't work for me fashion-wise but I'm glad I kept them."

He was confused. "Are you going to do the dance of the seven veils because I do not think I have the patience for that at this moment."

"No, scoot up."

Darcy did as he was told and leaned back against the headboard. When he felt the wrought iron against his back, it occurred to him what she had in mind. "You want me to tie you up? I fail to see how that deals with my control issues."

"Don't be ridiculous." She pulled one of his arms to the side and placed a slipknot around his wrist. "I'm going to tie you up." She then fastened the ends of the scarf to the headboard then walked around to do the same to the other hand. He put up no resistance.

She held up a third scarf and regarded him thoughtfully. "Are you going to blindfold me?"

"Would you be okay with that?"

"I trust you, Elizabeth."

She smiled and leaned forward, tying the scarf around his head. The last thing he saw before she took away his vision was his delectable wife coming closer.

Once his eyes were covered, Elizabeth sat back for a moment, strangely unsure about how to proceed. Her thoughts were interrupted by a groan from her hostage husband.

"If you're not going to touch me, please let me go so that I can touch you." The matter-of-fact tone to his voice made her laugh.

"Don't make me gag you!" It was a threat she had no desire to carry out in truth. She loved his voice and she would not want to lose the opportunity to kiss him.

Upon consideration, Elizabeth decided that a kiss seemed like a good way to begin. She leaned down to press her mouth against his.

"I don't think blindfolds are for us." Elizabeth concluded when Darcy protested that he wanted to see her.

Her speechless husband allowed her to do as she wished and it was satisfying for both of them.

When her limbs no longer felt like rubber, Elizabeth reached out one arm and grabbed the closest scarf end she could find, giving it enough of a yank to unravel the bow. With his now free hand, Darcy set his other loose, surprised at how loosely restrained he had really been.

"Elizabeth, that was – "

"Kinky?"

"I suppose so, yes, but I was going to say fantastic."

"I think my mother brings it out in me."

"That may be the most disturbing thing I have ever heard."

Elizabeth's laugh sounded slightly exhausted. "No, not like that; ew! I mean seeing her, talking to her, or rather being talked at by her, makes me feel defiant. I guess this was the most defiant thing that occurred to me."

Darcy raised his head slightly, looking around. "Where is that book Richard gave us?"

She slapped his chest lightly and he slowly eased her down so that she lay beside him. "There is no way my mother would approve of that book or what we just did."

"In that case, perhaps we should invite her around more often."

"I don't think either of us could really handle that without being driven absolutely crazy." She paused for a moment. "You know she recommended abstinence to Jane?"

"As a life choice?" Darcy was genuinely confused.

"Until the wedding."

"Well, that is not so far away."

"Could you stop having sex for two months?"

"I used to go that long all the time, I did not always have a girlfriend, Elizabeth."

"Sure, when you were single but could you do it now?"

"I suppose if there was a good reason, I could, for example if you were ill or out of town for something I cannot imagine at this time."

"Yeah, but what if you still had to sleep here next to me?"

"Would you wear your sexy nightgowns?"

Elizabeth was surprised by the question, he seemed to be taking her query seriously. "I guess not, I mean that would be kind of cruel."

"Still, having you beside me every night and being unable to make love to you, I do see your point. Poor Bingley."

"Indeed, well, I tried to talk Jane out of listening to Mom, so I've done all I can for him."

"I suppose you have and I am eternally grateful that you are so able to tune out your mother, since I would not want to give up what we have together." He held her close

She threw a leg across his. "So, can I tie you up again?"

"Hmm," he pressed a kiss against her temple and, "I think that I want to tie you to the bed sometime." He stroked his hand down her body.

"Sure, next time we spend time with Catherine DeBourgh and you have to make it up to me."

"Oh, I am sure we can arrange something before that cold day in hell."

They were both soon asleep.

_-x-x-x-x-_

If you remember the years I originally posted with this story, you will notice that it was originally set before _Pirates of the Caribbean_ came out in theaters (since I started writing it so very long ago) but I have since adjusted it, in my mind at least, to be a little more present day (although, as you see, I have selected no new year). When I finally finish this story, I will go back and reformat my earlier chapters to remove dates which will make the mention of this movie no longer anachronistic. Until then, just go with it!

*Legos are a popular toy, especially for young boys. They come in sets for pretty much everything you can imagine. Of course, they are not for babies (serious choking hazard) but the fictional baby of this story is in a playpen or somebody's arms, so don't worry about her!


	75. Chapter 75

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, located at this address (if you remove the spaces):_

www. sites. google site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-75

_Of course, that does not actually matter this chapter because with the exception of some formatting issues, this chapter is the same as the one posted there. I guess I just could not think of anything naughty to write this time around :)_

_Regarding my google site, I had thought that you could click on the homepage link that I put in my profile but apparently that is not showing up even though I know I entered it. I think it used to be a link but now it does not seem to show up on my bio at all, I am sorry about that. Anyway, try going to my google site, some people have found that it works with the www in front of it, some without. Alternately, you can google me (demonessk). I do not think anybody else uses that name and the last time I tried it, my site was the first thing to come up as a result._

_Now that I have decided for sure that I will eventually overhaul this whole story, I have become more lax about editing each chapter as I post it. Besides, that would slow me down and I am moving slowly enough as it is! Okay, that is all for now, please read and review._

**Chapter 75**

_Wednesday 20 February – Sunday 24 February_

Elizabeth was in her study on Wednesday when Georgiana arrived home from school. She heard the unusual sound of feet stomping up stairs before the girl burst into the room in enough of a rush to send a few papers flying.

"Georgie!" Elizabeth admonished, getting up to gather the escaped grant proposals.

The teenager did not even notice her annoyance. "They posted the cast list for the play! I got a part, I'm going to be Nimue*! It's a big deal too because I'm only a sophomore!" She looked as if she was only barely containing the desire to jump up and down.

"Oh, congratulations!" Elizabeth rose from her desk to hug the girl. "I'm not surprised, you have a beautiful voice." In truth, she was a bit surprised, not because Georgiana lacked the talent to play the part but because she usually lacked the confidence to properly show off said talent in such a nerve-wracking situation as an audition. "I'm so proud of you. We should do something to celebrate!"

"It's okay. I mean I'm excited, of course, but I have a ton of homework to do tonight."

"Well, tomorrow evening, you can pick the restaurant, I'll let your brother know that it is a special night for you. Would you like to invite John?"

Georgiana smiled, admitting that she would before skipping off to her own room, humming happily as she did so.

-o-o-o-o-

The next evening, Georgiana was full of both excitement and nervousness. She was still reeling from the thrill of getting a solo in the musical yet concerned about the strangeness of what was apparently a double date with her brother. Since the plan was to pick up John at his house, the young couple would not be alone together at all. As they headed to the garage, Darcy made a suggestion which caused his sister to roll her eyes.

"Georgie, would you like to sit up front with me? After all, this is your celebration."

"Seriously?" She could think of nothing else to say.

"Why not?" Darcy asked as he opened the front passenger door and looked at her expectantly. "Doubtless, Elizabeth would not mind." He glanced at his wife, who was pressing her lips together in an amused manner.

"Yeah," Georgiana retorted sarcastically, walking around her brother to enter behind the seat he was indicating, "I'm sure Lizzy has all sorts of things about which she'd love to talk to John."

Elizabeth climbed through the door Darcy was holding open. "Oh, I could definitely come up with something, you know how I like to talk."

He furrowed his brow, looking from one lady to the other before closing the door and getting into the driver's seat. "There is no need to be upset," he groused as he buckled his seat belt, "I was only making an offer."

"An offer designed to keep me from sitting in the back with my boyfriend. What, do you think he's going to feel me up with you two sitting in the front?"

Darcy sighed and put the SUV into reverse, "When did you become such a teenager?"

Georgiana decided that it was a rhetorical question and chose not to respond.

-o-o-o-o-

After picking up John from his home, they headed to a seafood restaurant that was one of Georgiana's favorites.

"You know," she told her boyfriend as he pulled out her chair, "this doesn't count as the fancy date you owe me since my brother is paying."

John flushed a bit. "I didn't think it would. I mean I can pay for me, I mean us but . . . "

Darcy waved off the rest of his comment. "Of course tonight is my treat. We are celebrating Georgiana's achievement of getting a solo in the musical."

"Yeah, so I'll wait for the weekend to cash in my Valentine's Day rain check." Georgiana smiled at her slightly nervous date.

"I made dinner reservations for Saturday night at six o'clock, it's kind of early but I wanted to be done in time for - " He stopped abruptly.

"In time for what?"

"I didn't mean to say anything, it's supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh no, a surprise, I hate surprises. Well, I love getting them but I hate waiting. You're so mean to tell me that a surprise is coming!"

Elizabeth smiled at their conversation and looked at Darcy who was regarding his sister oddly. She leaned toward him and spoke softly. "I didn't sound like that on Valentine's Day, did I?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her as if startled out of a reverie then smiled. "Perhaps a bit."

"Damn, if there's one thing I hate, it's acting like a teenager."

"I was thinking more that Georgiana is beginning to act like a woman."

"How so?"

"She does not make any more sense to me than you do."

Elizabeth laughed out loud and took up her menu to make a selection, suggesting that her companions should do the same if they did not want to be there all night.

-o-o-o-o-

As the evening wore on, Darcy did his best to pay attention to the interaction between his sister and her boyfriend. He had ordered a bottle of sparkling juice for the table so that they could all toast together. Watching his teenage sister sip the bubbly drink from an elegant champagne flute made his heart clench with an emotion he could not quite identify. It might have been apprehension at the future or regret to see her grow, perhaps even pride at the woman she was becoming. By the time dessert came, he realized that he had been woefully neglecting his wife and turned to apologize. The look on Elizabeth's face took him by surprise. She was regarding him as carefully as he had been regarding his sister.

"What is it?" He asked softly as Georgiana and John continued to converse with each other.

"I was just thinking – never mind." She shook her head dismissively.

"Please, Elizabeth, tell me."

"I can't help but notice that, despite your idiosyncrasies, you are a great father."

He could not miss her use of the present tense. She did not say 'will be' or 'would be' and her tone was casual, as if she was stating the obvious. Darcy opened his mouth to respond but realized that everything he wanted to say in that moment had been forbidden when she asked him not to pressure her about children. He closed his mouth and made a smile his only response.

"I love you." She whispered, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you too, Elizabeth."

-o-o-o-o-

After dropping John off at his house, the Darcy family continued home. Georgiana was in a considerably better mood than when they had departed.

"So," Elizabeth asked her when John had gone, "what do you think he has planned for Saturday night?"

"I don't know but it must be something time-consuming. He asked about my curfew."

"Midnight." Darcy interjected in a voice that would brook no opposition.

"Yes, Brother, I assured him that if I was not home by the stroke of twelve, I would surely turn into a pumpkin." As he was driving, Darcy could not see her accompanying eye roll but he was certain he could hear it in her voice.

Elizabeth laughed. "I don't think that's quite how the story goes but I do think midnight is reasonable."

"But it's a special occasion." Georgiana whined even though she knew there was no hope of getting her curfew extended.

"It had better not be too special." Darcy murmured under his breath, just loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.

She rewarded him with a smack in the arm before glancing at Georgiana to make sure the girl did not know what her brother had said. "I don't think the Valentine's Day makeup date is a nationally recognized holiday. Anyway, you have an hour more than you would have had on the real day anyway, since it was during the week."

Her firm tone put the issue to bed once and for all.

-o-o-o-o-

On Saturday night, Georgiana returned before her curfew by a thin margin but Elizabeth managed to keep an overprotective Darcy from waiting by the front door.

Sunday morning, when she woke up and went downstairs, Georgiana found her brother and sister-in-law sitting at the dining table with their wedding planner, a multitude of papers spread out before them. She ate breakfast in the kitchen, overhearing enough to figure out that they were selecting invitations. Once she finished eating, she made her way into the dining room sure that they would not mind hearing her opinion. When she looked at the variety of choices, however, she realized that she could not quite form one. As she gaped, Elizabeth noticed her presence.

"Georgie, it's nice to see you this morning, how was your big date?"

"Oh, it was great, after dinner John took me to an improv* show in the city. We had to leave before it was over," she threw a significant look at her brother, "but it was fun anyway."

Elizabeth smiled indulgently. "As great a tragedy as missing the end was, I think midnight is a perfectly reasonable time for a sixteen year old to be home. My curfew wasn't any later at your age." She glanced at her husband who wisely chose not to voice his opinion. After all, it had been Elizabeth who had chosen the times Georgiana's curfew when she had begun to date last year.

"Now," Elizabeth changed the subject. "which of these invitations do you like best?"

"They all look the same to me, Lizzy. How on Earth are you supposed to make a decision?"

Darcy's attempt to contain a laugh at his sister's question caused him to make a sort of snorting noise.

"That's what your brother thinks also." The wedding planner said.

"Georgie, you remember Julie. She came over here with a truckload of samples today. I guess the time has finally come to make the decisions I've been avoiding. We'll probably be here all day if you want to join us."

"Thanks but I think I have some homework to do."

"Of course you do." Elizabeth muttered under her breath as Georgiana made her escape. "Okay," she heaved a sigh and turned back to the table, "I guess I like the ivory ones better than the eggshell."

Julie cleared more than half of the samples off of the table then looked expectantly at her other client. "I believe it's your turn to make a decision, now, Mr. Darcy."

He furrowed his brow for a long time before responding. "I like where it says 'no gifts' since we can certainly do without those."

She made a notation on the pad in front of her. "Some people will want to give a present anyway. One way to direct their generosity properly would be to suggest a charity for donations in lieu of gifts."

"The Fitzwilliam Foundation?" Elizabeth suggested.

"I do not want it to sound like we are begging for donations. In addition, among our guests will the main benefactors of the foundation." Darcy stated.

"Well, those people don't have to give anymore. Look, it's a good cause and you know a lot of people with deep pockets who aren't already patrons but you're right, I don't know if it's classy, exactly." She looked questioningly at the wedding planner.

"Well, you can put "no gifts" on the invitations themselves then direct donors to the charity of your choice on your wedding website the way many people do with a registry. There will be no mention of it at all at your actual wedding."

"Wedding website?" Darcy seemed incredulous at the very idea.

"Oh yes, everybody has one these days, it allows guests to RSVP online, link to where you are registered or the charity of your choice, access the venue and accommodation suggestions in a variety of price ranges and provides some ideas for tourist activities in the destination city."

"That sounds like a lot of work." Darcy said distastefully.

"Website creation and hosting are, of course, included in your full planning package. I will require some photographs from you though; several of you as a couple and perhaps one picture each of the members of the wedding party."

Elizabeth snickered. "Some decisions have to be made before that can happen."

Darcy pouted a bit. "It is not my fault that you have too many sisters."

"Really, how many sisters is too many?"

"More than I have close friends, I suppose to pair them up with evenly."

"Yeah, I feel like you've hit on the real problem. You see," she explained to Julie, "not only is he one groomsman short at the moment but he also can't decide on a best man."

"I understand, such decisions can be difficult. Unfortunately, attendant assignments are not part of even our most deluxe package."

"I don't understand why you can't just pick someone. Charles makes sense, since Jane is my maid of honor or matron, I suppose, as my mother would insist upon saying."

"Yes, Bingley is certainly the best friend I have outside of my family but what about Richard? He has been like a brother to me my entire life."

"It sounds like you've made a decision then, great."

He was surprised at the finality of her tone. "What about Jane?"

"What about her? She'll walk on his arm for thirty seconds and share one dance, I'm not asking her to sleep with the guy. I'm sure Charles will understand. Decision made." She indicated the wedding planner's notepad. "Write that down – best man, Richard Fitzwilliam. Now he just has to pick his last groomsman." She patted her husband's knee. "Can we go back to picking out invitations now?"

-o-o-o-o-

They spent several hours making all sorts of decisions and when Julie Chao finally left they were both emotionally exhausted.

Elizabeth heaved a sigh of relief to see her car disappear down the street. "Maybe we should have had her come last weekend when my mom was here."

"Dear God, why?" Darcy seemed appalled at the very idea.

She smiled. "You know how my mom loves to make decisions."

"Somehow, I doubt her opinions would match our own."

"That's true. Anyway, that wasn't so bad really and now our wedding is basically planned. All we need to do is pick out the rings and show up on time."

"Doubtless, the limousine company will make sure of the latter."

"True and she would have gotten the rings for us too if we'd asked."

"I feel we ought to do that on our own, I would like to pick out something that matches the one you have now."

"Yeah, come to think of it, I already have a wedding ring but we still need one for you."

"We will get a matched set of bands, the one you have now could be like an engagement ring, since you technically did not get one."

"Well, we were technically never engaged. Besides, what if I want a giant diamond?"

Darcy furrowed his brow for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Of course I will buy you any ring you desire, I only thought that – "

Elizabeth cut him off with a kiss. "I was teasing you Fitzwilliam, you know I love the ring you picked out for me." She looked fondly down at her left hand. "Anyway, I don't think there's much left on our wedding checklist. We have to finalize the guest list by next weekend but that's mostly done already. You already have a tux although you'll have to pick your last groomsman before your backup dancers can be fitted for theirs."

"Backup dancers?"

"Just checking to see if you were paying attention."

"I always pay attention to you, Elizabeth. What is on your checklist, then?"

"Final fittings for myself and my bridesmaids. We have mani-pedis the day before the wedding and hair and makeup on the morning of but Julie is booking all that. I'm skipping the bridal shower thing so, barring any unforeseen crises, we are good to go with two and a half months left."

"I hope Jane and Bingley are doing as well as we are." He drew her into his arms and down onto the living room sofa.

"Their wedding planner seems fine although maybe not quite as efficient as ours plus she has to deal with Mom who, despite my jokes, has got to be as much of a hindrance as a help."

They cuddled together for several minutes before Darcy spoke again. "Are you planning Jane's bachelorette party?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of doing it the weekend before the wedding so nobody will be hung over during the event itself."

"Will that be a problem for the other bridesmaids? Some of them are further away."

"I don't know if Charlotte will be able to make it but I was planning to buy train tickets for my sisters, maybe some of Jane's friends from college will want to join them, especially Angela who's a bridesmaid. I was thinking of having a spa day but I haven't talked to Jane about it yet, maybe she'll want to go to a strip club." She pulled away from her husband's chest in order to study his face. "Would that upset you?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "Do you remember what happened last time you encountered male strippers?"

Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment. "Not really."

"Well, I do and fuzzy recollection or not, I know you are aware of what happened afterward." He left the rest of the memory unspoken. "I was considering the same timing for Bingley's bachelor party."

"Really, you're the one he put in charge of planning that?"

"I am the best man, why wouldn't I?"

"No reason." She avoided eye contact.

"You think I am not fun!" He accused.

"Hey, I have lots of fun with you, I just don't see you as the bachelor party planning type."

"I fail to understand why."

"It's just – you aren't really the kind of man who hangs out with the guys a lot, I mean you have lots of perfectly amiable relationships but you're having trouble coming up with five groomsmen. You should be glad I don't have eight bridesmaids like Jane does."

"Eight does seem like an unreasonable number." He groused. "I can have fun with other men, Elizabeth. I will have you know that I was thinking about taking everyone to Las Vegas for the bachelor party."

"Really?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "You know, if you do that, you won't be able to take advantage of me, post-strip club."

"You ladies will probably have a slumber party anyway, which would leave me equally unable."

"Adult women do not have slumber parties!" He looked at her until she sighed and admitted that he was likely right, she had planned for Jane and company to spend at least one night at their house. They agreed that it was best that he was planning to make himself scarce that weekend after all.

They sat together comfortably for a few moments before Elizabeth began speaking again, tentatively this time. "I do need to ask you something." She sounded so nervous that Darcy became concerned.

"You can ask me anything, Sweetheart, you know that."

"It might be more telling than asking, I guess. It's about Jane's party. I mentioned I was getting train tickets for my sisters . . . "

"You can have them come by plane if you would like, it would be quicker."

"You know, I don't know that it would be. They would have to go to the airport then deal with security and wait around there, air travel can be a pain in the ass."

"Still, it may be more expedient, I'll have Tracy look into arrangements."

"Should you really be using Pemberley resources for this?"

"She will not mind, I doubt it will take much time."

"Planes are also so much more expensive."

"Elizabeth, you know that is not a concern."

"It is though, it's what I'm concerned about now." She saw that he did not understand what she meant. "The whole bachelorette thing is certainly not going to be cheap. With so many of us, I'll have to rent a limo and the spa won't be cheap with facials and massages, which I want to do because it will make Jane happy but there's no way my sisters could afford to pay their shares so I thought I would pay for them, although that will be kind of pricey but then there's the matter of Charlotte coming from New York and Angela in Ann Arbor, who could probably afford a train ticket but not plane fare but she was Jane's best friend in college and I don't want to exclude her, especially since my sisters are coming but I don't think she has much money. I'm sure Louisa and Caroline can take care of themselves but then it looks like I'm playing favorites and – what?" The incredulous look on her husband's face stopped her nervous rant.

"You are over-thinking this, really you are."

"How so?"

"Well, first you should see who is coming. Talk to everyone individually to see if they can afford to come, if not offer to foot the bill. With Jane's friends, point out to them how important it is to the bride that they be there and point out that you are doing it for your sister, hopefully they will be gracious enough to accept. When you are sure of the headcount, call the spa and make arrangements for your treatments. Put everything on your credit card, for all intents and purposes, there is no limit."

"That's so much money."

He sighed deeply. "We have plenty of money and I know you do not generally like to spend much on yourself but this is for Jane, think of her happiness. I am not at all worried about the cost. I was planning on chartering a plane for our Las Vegas trip so I hardly have grounds to complain about your spending."

"Wow, we are planning one expensive weekend. At least nine women having spa treatments plus transportation; I am going to drop thousands on this and you – I can't even imagine what a private jet costs."

"Yes but it will be a singular event, rarely to be repeated. I do admit to one serious concern, however."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You will be required to spend an entire day, perhaps an entire weekend even, with Caroline Bingley."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, that's the least of my concerns. She's a bitch, sure, but I can handle bitchiness. I mean really, what can she do to me?"

"I know it is petty but I do not want that woman in our house."

"Me neither but to dis-invite her would ruin Jane's weekend and she will be my sister's sister-in-law, we should try to get along." She paused. "Okay, we'll probably never get along but I can learn to tolerate her, I'm sure of it."

"You have the patience of a saint, Elizabeth."

"Ha, say that after I spend the weekend with the witch."

He kissed the top of her head and decided to change the subject. "Now, shall we do something non-wedding related?"

"Like what?"

"We could make dinner."

"I'm tired and there are plenty of leftovers."

"What would you like to do then, Sweetheart?"

"Hmmm," she leaned into his side, "we could make out for a while."

He smiled at the suggestion. "Shall we head upstairs?"

"No, here is fine."

"We are in the living room and Georgiana is home."

"Thank you for stating the obvious." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm only asking you to kiss me, not take your pants off out here in the open."

He paused to think for a moment. "I think I can live with that, for now."

Wrapping an arm around Darcy, she pulled his mouth toward hers.

-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, what do you guys want to eat for – oh my God, not again!" Georgiana stopped short when she walked into the living room, clapping a hand over her eyes dramatically. "Don't you two have a room for that?"

"Oh, hi." Elizabeth turned to look at her sister-in-law, revealing a pair of lips slightly swollen from kissing. At some point she had moved from reclining on the couch to straddling her husband's lap. "I guess it is dinnertime. What do you want to eat, Fitzwilliam?"

Darcy did not answer right away as he was studiously avoiding making eye contact with his teenage sister. "Whatever there is, I suppose." He eventually managed to say.

Georgiana threw her arms up in frustration as she stomped out of the room. "Talk about double standards! I'll be waiting in the kitchen, take your time."

They elected to join her quickly to dispel any suspicion of further lustful activities.

Conversation at dinner that night was kept carefully neutral although afterward, when they watched a bit of television together as a family, things did not seem quite so awkward.

_-x-x-x-x-_

* Nimue is a small role in the Lerner & Loewe musical _Camelot_. While the part is not very large, it does include a solo number ("Follow Me").

* Improv, short for improvisation, is a type of performance where the participants make up the dialogue and actions as they go along, often based on suggestions from the audience. Although improv (both professional and amateur) goes on everywhere, Chicago is particularly well known for troupes such as The Second City.

The common existence of wedding websites is further proof of how this story is moving in time to become more current. Fortunately, I stopped including years in the timestamps many chapters ago. Someday, when I finally finish, I will edit and re-post this whole story with more chronological sense. In the meantime, please forgive my little issues.


	76. Chapter 76

_You probably know by this point that if you are interested in a more adult version of this story, you should read it at my google site, I tried very hard to include the address here but ffn does not allow links to be posted. In fact, I even tried to put it in with spaces around the most offensive parts but apparently, no matter what I do, it will not include the dotcom part of the address. even when I separate everything. I wonder if I tried to type something like rom-com, would it delete the second half of that? Apparently not, I just tried. Okay, I am going to put the site address here again, using dashes instead of periods. So, replace - with . (the first two only, chapter-76 is correct) and paste it into your browser. I am sorry it is such a pain in the butt but this site is trying really hard to not let me send you elsewhere._

_sites-google-com/site/demonessk/home/esials/chapter-76_

_This chapter is 91% intact_

_I know that it has been an incredibly long time since my last post. I had computer issues and was out of town – it doesn't really matter, the point is that although I (as always) make no promises, I will try to not let quite as much time go by before the next chapter._

_Now that I have decided for sure that I will eventually overhaul this whole story, I have become more lax about editing each chapter as I post it. I am pretty sure I got all the naughtiest stuff but I admit to not keeping much of an eye out for grammar and such. Also, because it has been such a long time since my last post, I wanted to get this one out as quickly as possible and did not want to take the time to spruce it up – that can be as long a process as actually writing it. Okay, that is all for now, please read and review._

**Chapter 76**

_Tuesday 19 March – Monday 25 March_

When her school quarter ended, Elizabeth was excited to have a free week. Unfortunately, just two days before her break began, Darcy's presence was required regarding a business acquisition in Los Angeles, California. Taking a moment away from studying to ruminate on her missing husband, Elizabeth formulated a plan. She picked up the telephone and called Richard.

"What are you doing this weekend?" She asked without much preamble.

"I didn't really have any specific plans. Why, are you so lonely without Darcy already?"

"Yes, actually."

"Well, I'm sure we can think of something to do to keep your mind off of it. I hear new exhibit at the Art Institute is good."

"That's not quite what I had in mind but Georgie might be interested."

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Richard considered this new information. "You don't want to hang out with me; you want me to come babysit while you jet off to be with Darcy."

"Not babysit, Georgie is old enough to look after herself for a few days and she has given me no reason to think she can't be trusted now, it's just that I think she would be better off with some companionship while I'm gone."

"You mean you want me to babysit without letting her know she's being babysat."

"I wouldn't put it that way but I guess so. Anyway, can you? If it's not too much trouble, I mean. If you can't, I understand."

"No, no, I'm happy to. You know I love to spend time with my cousin. Maybe I'll take her to the art museum."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Oh – and by the way, I want this to be a surprise, so if you talk to Darcy . . ."

"I don't know a thing."

"You're the best."

"You've told me that before, but you're still married to my dull cousin."

Elizabeth laughed lightly, not dignifying the silliness with a response, only thanking the man one more time for his help.

After hanging up with Richard, Elizabeth called the hotel where Darcy was staying and after talking to a terse woman at the front desk and two layers of management, she found herself at an impasse. For security purposes, they could not provide her with a key to her husband's hotel room.

"I understand, Mrs. Darcy," the manager of the establishment said patiently but firmly, "however, unless your name is added by the guest or the booking party, we cannot allow you access to any customer's accommodations."

Elizabeth thought for a moment about what the man was saying then, although frustrated, thanked him for his time and hung up; it would not do to get on the bad side of anyone who controlled access to her husband. Of course, she could just call Darcy and have him give the okay for her to join him but that would ruin the surprise and she was so rarely able to surprise him. Instead, she dialed Darcy's office number, smiling as the phone rang.

"Pemberley International, Mr. Darcy's office, this is Tracy speaking. How can I help you?" A professional-sounding woman's voice answered.

"Hi Tracy, this is Elizabeth Bennet . . . Darcy. Well, you know who I am."

"Of course! I suppose I don't have to tell you that Mr. Darcy is out of town."

"No," Elizabeth laughed, "I'm aware. I imagine you've been telling that to a lot of people."

"Oh yes, your husband is a popular man with a busy schedule and you wouldn't believe how often people assume I'm lying about his whereabouts." The assistant's voice relaxed a bit, becoming more friendly than professional. "Do you need his hotel information?"

"It's a little more complicated than that." Elizabeth went on to explain her plan of surprising Darcy at his hotel and the problem she had with security.

Fortunately, as Elizabeth had suspected, Tracy had made the arrangements for the trip and offered to call on her behalf. Before Elizabeth could even thank her, Darcy's assistant also offered to book her flight and arrange transportation to the hotel.

"Oh, I can't ask you to do that, this is a personal expense, not a company one."

"Don't worry about that, I have access to a personal credit card in order to charge it, Mr. Darcy has asked me to book personal travel before."

"Well thank you so much for going above and beyond. I hope he gives you a nice Christmas Bonus every year."

"I've never had anything to complain about, working here at Pemberley."

"I really appreciate your help, let me know if there's ever anything I can do for you."

"You already have, even though Mr. Darcy has always been a generous employer, I have to say that he is generally more pleasant to work with since he married you. . . Please don't tell him I said that!"

Elizabeth laughed again. "I'm glad to hear it but your secret is safe with me. Let me know if he ever gets too cranky for you and I'll set him right."

Tracy promised to do so and hung up. Half an hour later, she called back with a flight reservation number, instructions regarding the car which would meet her at the airport and a promise that, upon showing her ID at the hotel, she would be given a key to her husband's room. She would be traveling back to Chicago with Darcy on Monday.

After thanking the efficient woman once again, Elizabeth returned to her studying, finding herself much more able to concentrate now that she had a plan in place.

-o-o-o-o-

At dinner that evening, Elizabeth outlined her plan to Georgiana. The teenager was supportive and promised not to mention anything to her brother. When Darcy called soon after though, she could not keep from giggling as she emphasized how much they would both miss him while he was gone.

"What is wrong with Georgiana?" He asked once the phone had been handed to Elizabeth.

"Oh, you know how teenage girls can be." She said dismissively then changed the subject quickly to forestall any further inquiries. They discussed for some time Elizabeth's upcoming final exams and Darcy's visit to the firm he wished to acquire. Finally, after assuring each other of their mutual love, they hung up, promising to speak to each other again on the morrow.

-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday morning, Elizabeth had her last final of the semester. She returned home for lunch then loaded her luggage into the Town Car so Goodrich could take her to the airport. Normally, she would not need a very large suitcase for a long weekend but her garment bag, containing both a suit and an evening gown as well as shoes to match both took up a considerable amount of space. Darcy was likely to be dining out with business associates and she expected to be invited to join them. However, since she could not ask him for his specific plans without sounding suspicious, she had to pack for various contingencies. She also had casual apparel as well as a bathing suit and a few pieces of his favorite lingerie. They would not be spending all of their time in company, especially at night.

The flight was direct and with the time change, she arrived in California in the late afternoon. Thanks to Tracy's arrangements, the hotel gave her no further hassle and when she showed her driver's license at the front desk, she was given a key card and shown directly to her husband's suite.

Once behind the locked door, Elizabeth hung up her dress clothes and changed into the green La Perla nightie that he had given her on their first night at a hotel together. She had obtained a plethora of other lingerie since, but this one remained a steady favorite for both of them, due to both the way it looked on her and the memories it tended to inspire. She tried out a few poses on the bed, each punctuated with a wide yawn, she had been up late studying the night before. Looking at her watch, she realized that it was likely too early for him to return for the day and decided to give in to her tiredness. She drew the bedroom curtains and crawled beneath the covers before falling into a deep sleep.

When voices startled her awake, Elizabeth was unsure of how much time had passed. Blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes, she tried to focus on the sounds, noting that in addition to her husband's voice, there was a woman's voice as well.

"We would love to have you join us," the woman was saying, "it is important to get to know each other since we will be working so closely in the future."

Darcy's deep voice responded. "That sounds fine, I just need a moment. I can hardly go out in public like this." His voice sounded tight. Elizabeth imagined he was annoyed to have had somebody follow him to the private sanctuary of his hotel room. She hoped the mystery woman would not follow him any further, the thin garment she wore did almost nothing to hide her body and the clothes she had traveled in were out of reach. She pulled the sheet up to her shoulders as a large figure walked through the open doorway and began to disrobe.

Darcy stopped short, tie in his hands, his mouth opening and closing as he stared at the woman in his bed. When she saw that he was alone, Elizabeth raised one hand to wave sheepishly. A wide grin broke out on Darcy's face and he turned around, poking his head out into the sitting area of the suite. "On second thought, Miss Stevenson, I have something I need to see to immediately. Could you let your associates know, please, that I will join you all downstairs within the hour?"

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, thank you, it is a personal issue."

He watched her leave then turned back to Elizabeth, switching on the light before moving toward the bed. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise."

"I think it was less than pleasant for your companion there. She seemed kind of eager to help you." She emphasized the last words to make it more suggestive.

"I am not sure what she wants from me, she has been following me quite closely all day today." He held up his tie, the pale yellow silk marred by a bright red line. "She could not even keep her pen to herself."

"I'm pretty sure I know what she wants from you," Elizabeth sat up, smiling as he took in the top of the sheer garment she wore, "it's probably the same thing I want."

"Elizabeth! She is a business professional."

"You can't seriously be that naive. Are you telling me professional men never notice a hot woman? Anyway, forget about what she wants, I went to all this trouble to surprise you and you haven't even given me a kiss yet."

He rectified the situation immediately, pressing his lips against hers. Elizabeth's arms went around his neck to pull him closer.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from anything important, showing up unannounced like this."

Darcy snorted lightly and pressed a kiss to her neck. "There is nothing more important than you, Sweetheart."

"Seriously though, were you in the middle of some essential business talks?"

"We have come to an agreement, the contracts will be signed tomorrow. Tonight, I had planned to meet with a few of the firm's top executives for dinner and drinks in the hotel bar." He captured her mouth again and gave her a kiss. "I can call to cancel, it is not necessary to the negotiation process."

"You said you'd be there and I don't want you to keep them waiting too long."

"What made you decide to fly all the way out here?" Darcy asked before he kissed her again.

"I don't have any classes next week and the foundation doesn't expect me now because of finals; I wanted to take a vacation. I figured I'd check out the sights in L.A. and I might as well save money by piggybacking on your hotel room."

At her teasing, he bit her lightly. "Try again."

"I was terribly needy and there wasn't a man in all of Chicago able to fulfill me." Elizabeth kept as straight a face as possible while continuing to goad her husband.

"I missed you, Elizabeth, although it has been only a few days, I missed you already."

"I missed you too."

"In fact, I miss you every single day when I go to work."

"I can't tell if you're being romantic or trying to talk me into coming back to work for Pemberley."

Darcy silenced her with a kiss.

Some time later, they were lying sated together. Elizabeth was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"You know, you told that woman you had something to do but when you show up downstairs with that look on your face, she's going to know it was someone instead."

"I have no desire to go anywhere at the moment."

"Also, you have sex hair." Elizabeth continued as if she had not heard him.

"Maybe I should take a shower."

She looked at the clock. "I don't think there's time for that, just run a comb through it." She stood despite her husband's protests. "Do you want to go to this thing by yourself or should I join you?"

"I want to stay here and order room service so we don't have to get dressed." He looked at the clock as well, realizing that he had already left his future employees waiting for too long and rose, sighing in resignation as he began to don his discarded clothing. "I have to choose a new tie. Everyone came straight from the office, did you bring any clothes that might be considered business professional?"

"Oh, Fitzwilliam, you know I was a girl scout."

His brow furrowed for a moment before her meaning hit him. "You came prepared?"

"Of course."

He stopped dressing to watch her stride toward the closet where she had hung her suit.

In a few minutes, they both managed to look reasonably professional.

-o-o-o-o-

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. Although the local executives seemed surprised to be suddenly introduced to Darcy's wife, all were wise enough not to comment on any possible connection she might have to his tardiness. Elizabeth made an effort to converse with the only other woman present and found her to be perfectly amiable. Whatever flirtatiousness she might have displayed towards Darcy earlier in the day, Miss Stevenson knew enough to show no evidence of it in the presence of his wife.

The group stayed for dinner, drinks, and dessert. By the time they left, Elizabeth felt her eyes drooping, despite her nap that afternoon. She was grateful, when finally alone with her husband, that she only had to get upstairs before falling asleep.

"Did I really tire you out so much?" Darcy asked with a touch of pride as she leaned heavily against his side in the elevator.

"You wish. I've been up late every night this week studying for finals, plus it's two hours later for me."

"I came from the same time zone as you did, Elizabeth."

"Yeah, days ago. Don't be so unsympathetic or you won't get lucky again."

He rolled his eyes as if to say he thought her unlikely to carry out the threat but said no more, merely wrapping an arm about her waist for their walk down the hallway.

-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Elizabeth woke when she felt her husband slip from the bed.

"Are you going to be in the office all day?"

"No, just for the morning, you can go back to sleep, Sweetheart."

"I'm fine, all caught up, sleep-wise. I just want to know how much time I have to kill."

"Well, I only have to go into the office to sign the finalized contract today. I have a lawyer meeting me there and it should be no problem."

"Great, then we can spend the rest of the day together! This acquisition must have gone much more smoothly than you expected."

"Why do you say that?" Darcy's voice came from the bathroom where he was starting the shower.

She climbed out of bed and joined him in the spacious tiled room, he did not skimp when it came to hotel accommodations. "You weren't scheduled to return until Monday, so I guess we'll have the whole weekend free." Her brow furrowed when she saw the guilty look on his face. "What is it?"

"Although I made myself available on Monday should something happen with this deal, it is not the real reason I scheduled the trip for so long."

"Okay, what is it you aren't telling me?"

"I was going to tell you, I suppose I just was not sure how to bring it up in conversation."

"You're starting to scare me a little, Fitzwilliam." She had a serious look upon her face.

"Well, it is a major purchase and I realize I ought to have consulted you first but I was preparing to come out here anyway when the opportunity arose so I thought I would take advantage of the trip."

"You're still not telling me anything. What is this major purchase, are you planning to buy a beach house or something?"

"I am considering buying a jet."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"A private jet, I have a meeting this afternoon to see it and discuss terms. If I wish to buy it, I will consider it over the weekend and make a final decision on Monday." He looked slightly sheepish at the admission.

"For Charles's bachelor party?"

"I would use it for that, yes."

"I know it's your money and you can do what you want with it but owning a plane just doesn't seem cost-effective given how much or rather how little we travel."

"It is our money now, Elizabeth. You should get a say in how it is spent and I am sorry for nearly denying you that."

"Is it more than we can afford?"

"No, a pre-owned jet of this size costs only a few million dollars."

Elizabeth's eyes widened when she heard how casually he mentioned the price, he was rarely so cavalier about money despite having plenty of it; she made every effort to keep her voice steady. "Then I suppose it doesn't really matter, although I admit to being a bit surprised at your extravagance. You're usually so, I don't know, practical."

"I am full of surprises."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"I ran the numbers with an accountant. I can lease the jet to Pemberley International for less than the market rate but still enough to cover upkeep and maintenance, saving the company money. If I used corporate funds to buy the plane however, using it personally would be much more fiscally complicated. This way, the cost of the jet to us will be amortized over years of not only personal but professional use as well. Once you add in the convenience factor, I believe this to be a perfectly logical purchase."

"You're so sexy when you talk economics, I bet you even have a spreadsheet somewhere you could show me if I asked."

Darcy could not tell if she was teasing or not but he kissed her anyway, wishing that they had more time before his presence was expected in the office that morning.

-o-o-o-o-

Darcy was finished with all aspects of his business acquisition by mid-morning and looked forward to showing his wife what he hoped would be their new plane. After a phone call to determine her whereabouts, he returned to the hotel briefly before heading to the museum where she had gone to pick her up in a stretch limousine.

"Ooh, fancy," she said as she slid across the seat, "I feel so important in this."

"Should we get one for home then? I believe Goodrich has some experience in driving such a vehicle."

"Oh, no, if I rode in one all the time, the magic would be gone and then what would I do to feel like a princess?"

"I am sure we can think of something." Darcy murmured, pressing kisses to her neck.

The ride to the private airport was not long before they knew it, the couple was standing in the cabin of a small airplane with seating for about ten people listening to a man confidently list its features. Elizabeth stroked the leather arm of a comfortable looking seat. It might have been an armchair in a living room but for the attached seat belt.

"Is everything prepared?" Darcy asked the pilot. At the man's nod, he gestured for his wife to sit in the seat she had just been studying.

Elizabeth looked on confused as her husband shook the hand of the sales agent who then left the plane. Before she could ask any further questions, the door was closing and Darcy was buckling himself into the seat across from her. He indicated that she was to do the same.

"You bought the plane already?"

A smiling flight attendant informed them that they would begin taxiing momentarily, then disappeared into what seemed to be the cockpit.

"Really, this seems pretty spur of the moment, I mean I'm sure you've studied all the pertinent information first but still . . . " Elizabeth started a bit when the plane began to move.

Darcy looked at her with a wide smile on his face. "Do you really think me likely to purchase a plane without taking a test drive as I would a car?"

"Ah, you have to make sure it's a smooth ride. So, a circle around the airport?"

"I do not know how one would file that particular flight plan. We are going to San Francisco for the weekend."

"What? I didn't bring anything with me!" She looked at him in alarm.

"I packed a suitcase for both of us."

"Somehow I doubt you remembered everything I will need."

"I know your habits fairly well, Sweetheart. Besides, anything I forgot can be purchased. They do have stores in San Francisco."

"Why do I suspect you brought me nothing but lingerie?"

"Give me some credit, I also packed your toothbrush."

Elizabeth laughed and leaned forward to smack him lightly. "Why aren't we taking advantage of that charming seat over there?" She indicated a small couch with seat belts for two.

"I had not put much thought into the seating but we can try it on the way back or, if we end up buying the plane, the way home to Chicago."

"Snuggled up together seems an even better way to fly – although this certainly isn't bad." She looked around approvingly. "When do I get my champagne?"

"I told the attendant she would not be needed for this short flight, you will just have to make do with my company."

"Such a hardship." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and smiled. "So, do the employees come with the plane? Wait, that came out wrong, I know they're people and you can't buy them, I just meant . . .." She flushed slightly at the awkward phrasing.

"I know what you meant." Darcy picked up the folder on his lap and began flipping through the pages it contained. "I believe that the pilot is willing to relocate and his qualifications seem impressive so, given his experience with this particular aircraft, I plan to retain his services if all goes well on this trip. The flight attendant has a family here and no desire to move, so we will have to hire someone new when we get home." He continued to leaf through the documents pertaining to the purchase of the airplane. "Just as I thought," he brandished a sheet describing the seating accommodations, "that sofa folds out." He smiled almost triumphantly.

"Are you trying to get me to join the mile high club?" His wife bit back a smile. "Why Mr. Darcy, you offend my delicate sensibilities!"

"That had actually not occurred to me but now that you mention it . . ." He made as if to unbuckle his seat belt.

Elizabeth laughed aloud. "Maybe next time, this flight is pretty short and I would hate to be interrupted with the need to prepare for landing.

After securing her promise for a rain check, Darcy settled back into his seat for the remainder of the flight.

-o-o-o-o-

As it turned out, Darcy had packed more than just lingerie and toiletries for Elizabeth. Still, she insisted upon purchasing a pair of sneakers and a warm sweater, encouraging him to do the same, so that they could enjoy the tourist sites of San Francisco on foot.

They spent the night in a luxurious hotel and Elizabeth was surprised on Saturday morning when her husband insisted they check out right away. She went along with his instructions, though not without question.

"I thought we were staying until Sunday."

"In Northern California, yes; in this hotel, no." He signed the bill and thanked the hotel employee politely before leading Elizabeth out of the building, their single suitcase in tow.

"Where are we going?"

"It is a surprise."

"You can't have been planning to surprise me, you didn't even know I was coming."

"Didn't I?"

She regarded him for a moment. "No, I trust that Tracy kept my confidence. So, what's up?"

"I was planning on this side trip anyway but since you are here, I thought to keep a bit of mystery. You like surprises."

"I hate surprises."

Darcy laughed at the expression on her face when the car he had rented pulled up in front of the hotel. "Your chariot, my lady." He opened the door and held her hand as she climbed into the low slung Porsche convertible. "You don't hate surprises, Sweetheart, you just hate waiting for them."

"It's the same thing." She pouted, crossing her arms as he secured their baggage and settled into the driver's seat.

"It is not. Besides, I love the way your face lights up when I have successfully surprised you."

"Seriously, Fitzwilliam. Where are we going?"

He ignored her question and did his best to keep the conversation about other things as they drove away from the city.

"Oh my God, now I feel like an idiot." She said suddenly as she took in the landscape north of San Francisco.

"You are never that, Elizabeth."

"We're going to see your grandmother. She lives at a vineyard?"

"Yes, you have discovered my plan." He gave a resigned sigh. "I could hardly come this close and not visit her."

"You sound like you're not looking forward to it."

"I was when I originally made the plan but now . . . Please do not tell Grandma I said this but I am loath to give up time alone with you."

"I'm sure she'll let us share a room."

Darcy smiled. "I do think you will love the vineyard, it is beautiful and peaceful. This is not the best time of year for a tour but there is always excellent wine."

"Ah, now we're back to getting me drunk and having your way with me."

"A not particularly difficult task." He countered dryly.

"Fitzwilliam!"

"I am not going to apologize, Drunken Elizabeth is particularly affectionate."

"Well, I'm not getting drunk in front of your grandmother."

"You might feel differently after you sample her first rate product."

They continued to banter playfully for the remainder of the drive.

-o-o-o-o-

Eventually, Darcy pulled into the driveway of a stately looking house and knocked on the door. A severe-looking middle aged woman answered it.

"Welcome, Mr. Darcy." Her voice had a slight lilt to it as if she had left Ireland a very long time ago.

"Hello Mrs. Cooper. I would like you to meet my wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is my grandmother's housekeeper, Mrs. Cooper."

"A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Darcy." The woman smiled slightly. "Come in, I'll have Aiden see to your bags."

"Please, do not bother him," Darcy said, "we only have one suitcase and I can easily manage it."

"As you wish, your grandmother is in the parlor."

"Thank you." Darcy placed the small suitcase he carried at the bottom of the stairs and led Elizabeth through to where his grandmother waited.

"Lizzy!" The old woman exclaimed as she leaped up from her seat with an enthusiasm that belied her eighty years. "I didn't know you were coming."

Elizabeth embraced her with a smile. "It seems my husband is just full of surprises, he didn't tell me we were coming to see you either."

Mrs. Darcy laughed and greeted her grandson with a playful chiding before inviting the couple to sit down and converse with her.

-o-o-o-o-

They spent only one night in Napa Valley, although it was a pleasant one. On Sunday, they were given a thorough tour of the winery and Mrs. Darcy insisted they take several bottles home with them.

Although originally scheduled to leave San Francisco Sunday afternoon, they put off their departure until the evening, spending as much time as possible with Darcy's grandmother before driving back to the city.

"I am going to miss that car." Elizabeth commented as it was driven away from the airport by an employee.

"Shall I buy you one of your own?"

"Ha, that's just what I need, a car that makes it look like I have a sugar daddy."

Darcy looked at her strangely as they made their way onto the small airplane. "We have the money, you may have any car you want."

"I like the car I have – the still new car I have." She insisted. "Besides, I think if you own something like that, the novelty wears off – it's like the stretch limo thing we talked about the other day. Still, you can rent one whenever we travel together, I wouldn't object to that. I admit that I liked seeing you behind the wheel of such a sexy vehicle."

"I will keep that in mind."

"Of course, you're absolutely not allowed to rent one when you travel alone."

"Oh, why not?"

"It's way too much of a chick magnet."

Once on the plane, Elizabeth chose to sit on the couch, indicating that her husband ought to sit next to her once the luggage was stowed.

"See, isn't this cozier?"

Placing his arm around her shoulders, he agreed that it was.

-o-o-o-o-

They arrived fairly late at the private airstrip in Los Angeles and, unwilling to conduct business that night, Darcy insisted they return immediately to their hotel for a room service meal.

The next morning, he signed the requisite paperwork to purchase the aircraft as well as an employment contract for the pilot. Soon, the couple was on their way back across the country in the comfort of their new private plane.


End file.
